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FIRST LESSOI^S 



BEE CULTUEE, 



BEE-KEEPER'S GUIDE, 



BEING A COMPLETE INDEX AND REFERENCE BOOK ON ALL 

PRACTICAL SUBJECTS CONNECTED WITH BEE 

CULTURE. IN BOTH COMMON AND 

MOVABLE-COMB HIVES; 



A SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR, 



BEING A COMPLETE 



ANALYSIS OF THE WHOLE SUBJECT. 



By N. 0. MITCHELL. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 18T1, by N. C. Mitchell, in the 
offlce of the Librarian of Congress, Washington. 



J 



INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA: 

INDIANAPOLIS PRINTING AND PUBLISHING HOHSB. 
1871. 






PREFACE. 



This volume is desigiiea as a dii'ectory to aid and explain the im- 
provements that are going on in bee culture. " It is time," says 
Mr. Quinbj^ " that the work luck, applied to bee keeping, was dis- 
-carded." The prevailing opinion that bees will prosper for one per- 
son more than another, under the same circumstances, is fallacious — 
as well might it be apjilied to the farmer or mechanic. But be it 
remembered tliat the successful cultivation of the honey bee depends 
upon a correct knowledge of the laws of insect nature, for in pro- 
ceeding with the bee culture we have to deal with two insect tribes, 
namely: the honey bee and the moth miller. These two insects, though 
alike in nature and tastes, yet in procuring their food are dissimilar. 
The industrious bee goes forth, at the rising sun, to gather its food 
from each opening tlower, but the slothful miller waits until the 
shades of evening approach, then seeks to obtain his supplies by 
stealth. Then, I say, in order to be successful in this enterprise, we 
must become acquainted with their wants and habits. Now, in order 
to convey the most valuable knowledge as to their instinct natures, 
I have drawn from every available source at command. I am not 
ambitious to claim this work as purely original, yet I have endeavored 
to discard worthless theories and accept such facts as have beea 
demonstrated by practical and experienced bee keepers, and in 
drawing from other authors I have endeavored to skim and only 
take the cream. 

I remain, yours, etc., 

Indianapolis, Ind. N. C. MITCHELL. 



ACKNOWLEDaMEl^TS. 



In preparing this work I have not confined it altogether to my 
own views, but have drawn from the following works and authors: 

"■Langstroth on the Honey Beef' ''Mysteries of Bee Keeping, by INI. Quin- 
by ; Bee Keepers' Text Book," by N. II. & H. A. King ; ''Nature's Bee 
Book," by M. A. Flanders ; " Kidder's Guide to Apiarian Science," by 
K. P. Kidder ; " The American Bee Journal," by Samuel Wagner. 



LESSOISr A^. 



Well, my children, you have accompanied me to the 
apiary this bright and beautiful morning, to learn some- 
thing of the honey bee. Willie, my boy, have you ever 
thought of the untiring industry of the honey bee, con- 
stantly gathering the choicest sweets of nature ? Look 
at that colony, my boy. See them hastening out. Not a 
single moment is lost. Every effort is put forth to gather 
all the honey secreted in the flowers before it is evapor- 
ated by the noonday sun. 

Here, my children, you may learn a lesson from the 
little busy bee. See, my boy, they stop for nothing, even 
during the after part of the day, when there is no honey 
in the flowers, they are still to be seen gathering polen 
and water, which are just as essential to the welfare of 
the bees as the honey. In another lesson we will give 
you the reason, and tell you what the bees do with both. 
Willie, you remember, the other day you asked me 
if there were bees in America when Columbus discov- 
ered it? There were none, my son, although the valleys, 
the mountains, and the beautiful prairies were covered 
with nature's choicest flowers; and yet, not a single bee 
was there, in those primitive days, to sip the sweet nectar 
from a single flower. 

It seems, my children, that God in his great' goodness 
created the bee for a wise and good purpose — to accom- 
pany man through life ; for, wherever civilized man has 
gone, the little bees have ever been his companion. You 



4 FIRST LESSONS 

ask, my children, if bees were not originally in America, 
and would really like to know where they did originate. 
I would saj to you, that bees have lived since the earli- 
est dawn of creation ; and, whilst the innumerable crea- 
tures and insects created by God have passed away, bees 
have lived through all the many changes and in almost 
every clime, and will doubtless continue to live to the 
end of time. 

It is thought they were transported to Pennsylvania 
from Germany about the year 1627. We also have 
accounts of bees being brought from England about the 
year 1685, and from that time, they have been following 
man up, wherever his destiny may have carried him. 
And, as fast as the line of civilization has advanced west- 
ward, the little bee is found following in its wake, taking 
possession of every available tree and flower, at the same 
time allowing man to take possession of them, by putting 
them in log hives, which they accepted without a single 
murmur. And, from that day to the present, they have 
•lot deviated in the least from their one grand principle 
industry — their habits ever the same — working from 
jarly dawn till dewy eve, always laboring — laying up 
stores for their own and man's good. 

We might go on and say there were no bees in Cali- 
fornia until after gold was discovered there in 1849. 
•?oon after, they were taken there from Pennsylvania by 
the Harbisons, and now all that vast country is inhab- 
ited by the little bee. From California they were car- 
I'ied to Utah by wagons. And the day is not far distant 
when they will have been introduced into every territory 
\ii the United States. 

Having told you, my children, from whence came the 
-uoney bee, we will now tell you something of the bees. 
Oome near the hive, my boy. Now, do you see those 
little fellows? they are the ones who gather all the 
'honey, all of the polen, all of the water ; they, too, take 
;are of the young bees, feed and nurse the young from 
he time they are first hatched out from the eg^. 



IN BEE CULTURE. O 

Come nearer the comb, my children, - look down in the 
bottom of the cells. Do you see those wormlike looking 
little objects — so very small they are scarcely percept- 
ible to the naked eye? Well, they, my children, have 
just hatched out. Do you see how careful the bees are 
of them ? Minnie, do you see the bees crawling into the 
cells headforemost ? Well, the bees are feeding them, and 
will continue to do so until they have sealed them over, 
after which they will need no more attention. All they 
now require is heat enough to keep them from chilling, 
and in twenty or twenty-one days from the time the eggs 
were laid, the young bees will crawl from the cell a fully 
developed bee. 

Bees seem to have their distinct duties to perform. 
After leaving the cell, for the first eighteen or twenty 
days they spend their time generally in the hive nurs- 
ing brood, helping to build and repair comb, and, occa- 
sionally, on beautiful afternoons, they may be seen to 
leave the hive for a few minutes, to play. Minnie, my 
dear, do you remember a few days ago, of your running 
to me with the startling information " the bees were 
swarming !" I told you, no, I thought not, and said " they 
were only playing, like my little children do occasion- 
ally." 

I will now tell you how you may always know whether 
the bees are swarming or playing. When they leave the 
hive to swarm, they rush out pell-mell, like children en- 
gaged in certain games — first one out, the best fellow ! 
When they leave to play, they fly out, turn their heads 
toward the hive, and play about until they get tired, then 
return to the hive, and go to work again in real earnest. 
The balance of their life is spent in out-door labor, gath 
ering honey and polen, and everything that is necessary 
to keep the colony in a good condition. Their, out-door 
labor lasts only forly or fifty days, when it may be said 
of them that they have gone the way of all earth. 

" Oh, Fa ! do you mean to say that they all die so soon ? " 



6 PTRST LESSONS 

Yes, my children. The average life of the honey bee is 
but seventy days, during the summer or working season. 
In winter they may live until spring, but as soon as the 
old bees leave the hive, but few of them ever return, and 
in a very few days the old bees are all dead, and their 
place is taken by bees that were hatched out in February 
and March. 

But, my children, there is another bee which inhabits 
the hive, which I have not yet told you about, and that is 
called the queen bee. She rarely ever leaves the hive. 
She is by some styled the mother bee. It is she who lays 
all the eggs from which the young bees are hatched. 
She appears to have no other duties to perform than that 
of laying eggs ; and that keeps her very busy, for during 
the season when the bees are gathering honey rapidly, 
the queen lays from two to three thousand eggs every 
twenty-four hours. But as I expect to speak to you again 
about the queen bee, we will pass her by for the present, 
and notice for a moment the big, lazy and noisy bee 
called the drone. 

Willie, do 3 on remember, when you and Minnie were 
somewhat younger, how you uwuld run away from the 
hive ? and one day, when the drones were out flying, you 
said that you were afraid the big bees would sting you. 
They, my boy, are like many men and women in the 
world, who make a big noise, but never sting. 

I will tell you a little incident which took place in our 
apiary. There came a man one day to visit us, and as we 
were taking him around among the bees, from hive to 
hive, and while we were sitting in front looking at the 
bees, there came along a drone. Pretty soon he com- 
menced buzzing around my friend, when he looked up 
and asked, " "What is that ? " We soon informed him that 
it was merely a drone. He r-prang to his feet, and you 
should have seen him run ! It reminded us of the good 
Book, where it says, "The wicked flee when no man 
pursueth." We called to our friend to know what was 
the matter. Nothing, he replied, only he did not want to 



IN BEE CULTURE. 7 

be stung by that big bee ! He said the lit tie fellows hurt 
bad enough, and he was sure that if stung by one of the 
big bees, it would kill him ! 

We endeavored to assure him of there being no cause 
whatever to fear the noisy bee, as that noisy fellow had 
no stinger. We introduce this to show how little is 
known of the bee by the masses. 

Now, my children, if you will be attentive, and treasure 
up what I have to say, by the time you get through with 
your lessons on bee culture, you can handle bees as well 
as I can. As we pass through each lesson, it will be 
necessary for you to pay particular attention, and get the 
true meaning of every word. New beginners are apt to 
read a work very rapidly, and at the same time think, 
"Oh, well, I understand enough of that?" and they 
will say, "I can do it just as well as the writer can." 
There, my boy, is the sticking point with many bee 
keepers. They know too much, or think they do — which 
is much worse than if they thought they did not under- 
stand it. 



LESSOi^ B. 



EXPERIENCE IN BEE KEEPING. 



Good morning, my children ! According to promise, 
we will add another lesson in bee culture this morning; 
hence we will adjourn to the school-room for these les- 
sons, which is styled the apiary, and look in upon the 
bees to see how they are progressing. Finely, we see, 
and busy as usual. 

But before going any farther with our lesson, I want to 
tell you something of how bees were kept when I was a 
boy. My earliest recollections are associated with the 
keeping of bees, and when a very small child, I might 



8 FIRST LESSONa 

have been seen toddling around after my father, watching 
every motion and attention when among the bees, and 
well do I remember the first bee that ever sought me for 
his victim. Well, it struck me just above the eye ! I let 
all hold go, and flat I went to the ground. Your grand- 
father picked me up and carried me to the house. After 
great suiFering and various prescriptions, my eye closed 
— but not forever, as you see. 

That, my children, was forty years ago. In those days 
all bees were kept in hives made from hollow trees. 
Such hives as we have in this age, were not thought of in 
America at that time. Since then there have been many, 
many changes. Many have thrown away their old hives, 
and are now using movable-comb hives of some kind. 
At the same time, there are many old fogies who use the old 
round gum hive and common box hive. 

Do you remember, when we were visiting at Mr. 
Brooks', of seeing hives scattered all over his farm, and 
wherever the bees clustered, there they were hived and 
left to stand among the weeds, under the trees, and where 
the chickens roosted. They were, in fact, in every nook 
and corner, except where they should have been. 

You also doubtless remember his reply, when we asked 
him how his bees were doing, "Kind o' so, so ! " Yes, 
that was it — exactly what we want is the definition of the 
words, "Kind o' so, so ! " We said, "Mr. Brooks, we are 
now looking for items for our paper ; tell us how many 
swarms you get annually from your forty colonies of 
bees." 

" Well, sir, as near as we can calculate, about twenty, 
and one-half of thetn flew awa5% leaving me ten swarms ; 
but, then, let me get ever so many swarms, enough die 
ofi" every winter to leave me about the same number I had 
in the spring. So I hold about my own in number of 
colonies." 

" Well, Mr. Brooks, will you be good enough to tell m© 
how much surplus honey you take from them annually?" 

"Well, let me see — well, about — well, I don't really 



IN BEE CULTURE. » 

know^ There is one thing, they used to do better than 
they are now— much better. John took out of three 
hives which the bees had all died in — at any rate, there 
were no bees in either hive — about sixty pounds of pure 
honey from each hive. I never could tell what went with 
the bees." 

" Well, did you get any honey from the other hives ? " 

"None at all; I did not have time, really, to look after 
them. I would like to know what became of those bees." 

"Mr. Brooks, do you take a bee journal ? " 

" No, sir ; I have not the time to read one if I did ; and 
still I do believe that I know more about bees than any 
man in the country. I have kept bees for forty-live 
years. I want none of your bee j )urnals, or bee books, or 
thosa confounded patent hives that Adams has over the 
river. No sir — none for me ! Not one of those fellows 
can catch me trying their hives. The old way is the best. 
Adams, over the river, says Ihey get about one hundred 
pounds of good box-honey from each Jiive. They have 
what is called a movable-comb hive. I saw Mr. Adams 
in town the other day, and he had six hundred i)ounds of 
nice box honey, which he sold at forty cents a pound." 

"But," said we, "Mr. Adams has taken two thousand 
pounds of box-honey from twenty colonies of bees, and 
sold it all at forty cents per pound — in all, bringing him 
eight hundred dollars in clear casli. He used a movable- 
comb hive, and takes all the bee journals, and reads all 
the books written upon bee culture that he can get his 
hands upon. What do you think of that, Mr. Brooks ? " 

" I will tell you what it is — I don't believe one word of 
it. Let me see — why, that is more money than I ever 
made on bees in all my life. It's more than I have made 
from my farm of two hundred acres in the last ten years. 
No. sir, you will have to go somewhere else to tell your 
big yarns." 

My children, my reason for introducing Messrs. Brooks 
and Adams to you, is that you will find a great many 
Brookes in the country — yes, one thousand to where there 



10 FIRST LESSONS 

is one Adams. And now let me impress one great, im- 
portant fact upon your minds, and that is this : The care 
of the bees is that which makes the money for the bee 
keeper, and if you will do as I tell you, you can do even 
better than Mr. Adams did. 

We say there are a great many men who keep bees as 
Mr. Brooks did. Yes, they live in every village, in every 
hamlet, in every neighborhood, in every township, in 
ever}'- county — indeed, everywhere. Their name is legion. 
They see honey in the markets selling at a good price, 
but it is not their own. They see the honey on the Adams 
table, but not a bit on their own. Adams sells honey 
and bees both enough to buy a good farm every year, 
while the Brookses live from hand to mouth. 

Now, my children, perhaps you think Adams' bees were 
better workers than Brooks'. No, indeed ; the bees are 
alike — but the difference is in the hives. The Brookses 
keep their bees in nail kegs, tobacco boxes, in barrels, 
round gum hives, old boxes of all kinds, shapes and sizes, 
and take no care cf them from one year's end to another. 
They do nothing for the bees, and the bees do nothing for 
them ; so the account is always square. 

But not so with the Adamses. They look after their 
bees, keep them in nice movable-comb hives, where they 
can get at their bees, and where they can get the surplus 
honey out as fast as capped over. 

My children, let me impress it upon your minds — so 
that you will never forget it — to insure success in bee 
keeping, you must take care, of your hees. You must 
have them in a hive where you can see every comb at any 
:ime, and all times. Bees require the same attention that 
your cows do. How much butter would the farmer's 
wife get if she did not milk her cows regularly ? Little 
or none at all. Just so with the bees. They soon fill their 
hives, and if they have a hive that the bee keeper can 
not get into, then, indeed, he may justly claim that he 
gets but little return from his bees. I am rejoiced to see 
prejudice and stubbornness giving way to light and rea- 



IN BEE CULTURE. 11 

son. To-day many are throwing away their old hives and 
getting their bees in movable-comb hives. 

That, my children, is the first step in bee-culture in the 
rig^t direction. The next step is to get all the informa- 
tion you can; take all the bee journals and papers pub- 
lished in the United States ; get the practice of our best 
bee keepers; folloin them to the letter; never try exper- 
iments ; if you do feel so inclined at any time, experiment 
upon but one hive at a time — by so doing, your bees will 
last longer than if you tried the same upon all at once. 
Always bear in mind that some other percion has tried the 
same thing and failed, long before you thought of it. 

Then let me entreat all new beginners to follow only 
the road marked out by our ablest apiarians. After you 
have learned to handle bees, and understand their habits, 
etc., then it is time enough to try experiments. Then 
you will have learned enough not to kill your bees. 



LESSOiSr c. 



HOW TO TRANSFER BEES FROM THE COMMON HIVE. 



Come, Willie and Minnie, let's away to the apiary this 
bright, beautiful morning, so charming for the transferring 
of bees from the old hives. See what Mr. Jones has 
purchased and brought home yesterday. Just look at 
them ! Did you ever see such looking hives ? And yet, 
when we come to lift them, they are in good condition, 
providing the comb is not too old and heavy. No matter, 
they have plenty of bees, and we will soon have them in 
our nice, clean, new hives. 

Now, Willie, you get the table out under the shade of 
the trees. Minnie, bring out the woollen cloths to spread 
upon the table, to lay the comb upon, to keep from kill- 



12 FIRST LESSONS 

ing the young brood in the comb. Willie, get the knil'e 
ready; lay it upon the table. Now, my children, we are 
ready to go to the hive. 

Light that roll of cotton rags which you prepared yes- 
terday — that will do. Blow in a little smoke. Hear them 
sing. Minnie, you ask v/hy we blow the smoke. It is 
for this reason, my little girl : As soon as the first breeze 
of smoke reaches the bees, they think they are to lose 
their honey; they at once run up to their stores and fill 
their sacks full, after which they are as harmless as 
hutterilies, and will not sting unless you squeeze them. 

My children, there are other ways to make the bees fill 
themselves. Stoj) ui? the hive, so the bees can not get out 
and then drum on the hive for a few minutes, until the bees 
fill themselves. Then you can do anything with them, with- 
out the least danger of getting stung. But we prefer the 
rags, or dry, rotten wood smoke, to anything that we ever 
tried. 

Now, all is ready ; turn the hive upside down ; set that 
box upon the bottom of the hive, to let the bees run up 
into; that will do. Never mind the holes; the bees will 
run in the box if the hole was big enough for 3'^ou to get 
your hand into the hive. Now, my boy, rap the hive 
with the hammer about five or ten. minutes, until all the 
bees have passed up into the box. Come, Minnie, see 
how fast they run up ! That will do ; bring the hive to 
this box near the table. Willie, you will now set the box 
containing the bees, where the old hive stood ; that will 
allow the bees returning from the fields to enter it, where 
they will remain until the comb is transferred to the new 
hive. 

Now, Willie, take the chisel, and pry off one side of the 
hive, so as to get out the comb v^^ithout breaking. Willie, 
do you observe that the hive is not in a proper position to 
preserve the comb from breaking; had I not no'Jced in 
time, most of the comb would have been broken. Al- 
ways lay the hive down so that the edge of the comb 
stands upright ; then there is no danger. That is the way, 



IN BEE CULTURE. 13 

my son, and remember well what I have told you about 
it, then you will have no trouble. That is right ; you have 
succeeded in getting the side off all right— just as good 
as I could I ave done it. Now what is next to be done ? 

There are three sides and one end that the comb is 
fastened to. Take that long, thin-bladed knife, and cut 
the comb off the top side of the hive, close up to the 
board. Now pry it off; that is right. Now cut the first 
comb loose from the bottom and the end of the hive, and 
lay it on the woollen rags that Minnie spread upon the 
table; that is well done. Now be careful, or you will 
kill the young brood. 

Now, my boy, lay the frame upon the comb, and cut it 
so that it will stand right side up, as it did in the hive. 
Cut close up to the frame, so the comb will fill up the 
frame, and lay on little slats across each end, and tack 
both ends with the smallest size tacks you can get. Now 
turn it over and tack the other side. Now set it in the 
new hive. Cut out another comb ; be careful to save all 
the small comb, you will often find a place to put it; that 
is right, you have done well, but there are a few pieces 
which might be placed in the frames and fastened, and 
given the bees ; they would be glad of it, and would soon 
fix it up all right. Now let me see if you can do it ; that 
is right so far. 

What is that you are doing? This comb will fit in side- 
ways so nicely ! No matter, my son, the comb must be 
set in as it stood in the hive, and were you to set it in 
that way, the bees would cut it all out, so you would have 
the trouble for nothing, and at the same time give the 
bees a great deal of trouble to remove it. 

My children, let me ask you to remember that there is 
only one successful way ot doing anything, and that is 
doing it right, and if not done right, it had better not have 
been done at all. The old adage is a good one, and one al- 
ways worth remembering, " That which is worth doing at 
all, is worth doing well." 

You have the combs, I see, in the new hive ; so far, so 



14 FIRST LESSONS 

good. Now carry it to where the old hive stood, set it 
upon the same spot ; now lay a board or sheet down 
in front, shake the bees down in front of the hive ; that 
will do. See how they run into their new home ! In two 
or three days open the hive and cut out the slats that were 
nailed across the frames to keep the combs to their place. 
The bees have now fastened the comb ; there is no danger 
of it falling out. 

Willie, I see you have transferred that colony just as 
good as I could have done it, and in all you made but one 
mistake, and that was in fitting in the comb so that it 
would stand sideways. That you will never do again. 
But there is one thing I particularly wish you to under- 
stand. It is this : Should you open an old hive, and find 
some of the comb old and thick, filled up with old bee- 
bread, or cut up with the moths, better discard all such 
comb. They are worthless, unless it is for rendering into 
wax. You can not be too careful when transferring old 
comb, as very much of it will be found worthless, and if 
put into the frames, would be only that much dead weight. 
Better reject it at once, and let the bees build new comb. 



» ■ ^ i 



LESSOJSr 33, 



INCREASE OF STOCK. 



Come, my children, let us now adjourn to the apiary 
for a few hours, to continue our lessons in bee keeping. 
I want now, to tell you how to increase or multiply your 
colonies so as to make from one, as many as you may 
want; but before we take up that part of the subject, let 
me say to you that this part of the subject is fraught 
with great danger to the new beginner, and here is the 
very rock upon which their brightest anticipations may 
ground or run ashore — for a single false step may be the 



IN BEE CULTURE. 15 

ruin of a colony of bees, and, if followed up, ruin to the 
apiary. 

The new beginner should consider well this part of 
apiculture before attempting the increase of stocks arti- 
ficially—better allow the bees to swarm naturally, until 
you thoroughly understand how and when to divide your 
bees. You ask, "can you tell us how to increase or 
divide a colony so that there is no danger of loss?" Cer- 
tainly, my son. If the new beginner would follow my 
advice, he could divide as well as I could, and keep his 
bees always strong. But, Willie, my boy, man is a curi- 
ous piece of mechanism — he is fond of trying experi- 
ments, like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They 
were happy, or they should have been, as they were 
monarchs of all they surveyed. They could eat of the 
fruit of every tree in the garden save one, — and the Lord 
commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden 
thou mayest freely eat, but of the Tree of Knowledge of 
Good and Evil, thou shalt not eat ; for in the day that 
thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. Genesis, 2nd 
Chapter and 16th and 17th verses. 

That, my children, should have been a sufficient com- 
mand to have kept Adam and Eve away from the fruit 
of the tree ; but, on the contrary, it increased the curiosity 
and wish for that fruit, so when the tempter came in the 
guise of a serpent, they were ready lor him. They did 
eat, and they likewise fell. And in their fall came mis- 
ery and darkness into the world. Through their disobe- 
dience to the Great and Grand Giver of all good, have 
we, to-day, the roaring of the thunder and the flashing 
of the lightning, and the many ills that flesh is heir to. 
Had it not been for that fall in the Garden of Eden, all 
would be sunshine, brightness, and life. No death would 
come to chill our hearts and desolate our homes. 

You will pardon our digression, my children, I merely 
allude to this, to prove to you that man has ever been an 
experimenting genius, and probably will so continue till 
the end of time. It has been said that the man who first 



16- FIRST LESSONS 

invented powder, lost his life by trying to ascertain the 
strength of it. It seems that he filled a keg with pow- 
der, then sat down on it with a leg on either side of the 
keg, then held a fire brand to it, and ofi" it went, hurling 
him into Eternity. 

This case, my children, is one that the inventor should 
not be blamed for, for this reason, they have no means 
of knowing the power of their invention until tried ; but, 
with the bee keeper it is a different thing. They have 
had line upon line, upon the subject of bee culture. Then 
why, let me ask, shall you be caught trying everything 
that you can think of? Better follow the directions of 
those who have made bee keeping a grand success ; and, 
when you thoroughly understand bee keeping as taught 
by them, it will be time enough to try experiments 
Let me entreat of you, my children, to never try any 
other i)lan than the one laid down here, until you can do 
it just as successful as I do. Then, my children, if you 
see where you can make some improvement, do so. 

You will now have learned enough to at least not 
kill your bees with experiments. And, as we have di- 
gressed so far from our subject, before we take it up 
again, I will call your attention to another rock that 
has wrecked many fond hopes. Many bright dreams of fu- 
ture success have faded out in darkness, leaving the expe- 
rimenter a wiser, if not a better man. We allude to the 
many new beginners in bee culture, who attempt to get 
up a hive and present it to the public long before they 
learn the first principles of bee keeping. Many of them 
think all they have to do, is to get up a hive, and their 
fortune is made. It is an easy matter to get up a hive, 
but quite another to introduce it to the public. The 
inventor starts out in the fresh flush of hope. He calls 
to see Mr. Reed, a good and reliable bee keeper, that he 
has often heard of. He is perfectly sanguine, his hive 
will certainly fill the bill. He calls the attention of Mr. 
Reed to his great and wonderful improvement ; indulges 
in an elaborate and glowing description of his hive, and 



IN BEE CULTURE. 17 

closes, by telling him that his hive will soon take the 
place of all others. 

Mr. Reed asks our sanguine inventor, " How long have 
you kept bees ?'' "About one or two years," is the reply. 
"Well, Mr. Inventor, to be plain with you, I thought as 
much, when I first saw your hive ; for no man who under- 
stands bee keeping, would be caught carrying such a 
thing around to sell to bee keepers The ignorant may 
buy it, but assuredly, no man who knew the habits of 
bees would touch such a hive." And this is the recep- 
tion he gets from bee men. 

Let me ask of you one favor, my young friend in bee 
culture, and that is, never attempt to get up a new hive 
until you thoroughly understand bee culture, then it will 
be time enough to think of it. Then you will be better 
able to construct a hive that Mr. Reed will not object to. 
Remember that there is not one hive in fifty that the 
inventor ever makes one cent out of; and, were it not 
for this, we to-day, would have twenty bee keepers to 
where we now have but one. For this reason, whenever 
any one starts an apiary in a neighborhood, let him be 
an inventor or not, all eyes are npon him — everybody is 
watching him. Many are predicting that he will fail. 
He makes a grand displaj^ for a short time, but for want 
of experience, he fails, and all of his acquaintances say, 
they knew all the time he could not succeed. 

Now, had the bee keeper understood the very first 
principles of bee culture, he would have succeeded, and 
all of his friends would keep bees to-day. This has been 
the history of thousands, all over the United States, and it 
will be so as long as men attempt to do what they know 
nothing about. 

Now, Willie, having cautioned you against a few of the 
dangers which new beginners have to contend with, we 
will take up the subject, "The making of artificial swarms." 
Some writers will tell you to take a large colony of 
bees that are about ready to swarm, and divide them 
equal, leaving the queen in the hive that you are to 
2 



18 FIRST LESSONS 

remove to another location ; and they will tell you that 
the bees in the queenless colony will soon build a queen 
cell and rear a young queen. That they will do, my chil- 
iren, but any man who follows dividing in that way, can 
not increase his colonies to any great extent, and of those 
made up in that way, one-half or more fail. 

We once made up colonies in that way, but gave it up 
for a plan that will never fail. And now, Willie, I will 
tell you how to make up a colony — one that will be as 
strong as the old ones ; and, that j'^ou may understand 
how to do it, go to the shed and get a hive and bring it 
here, and we will make up a colony, then you will under- 
stand it. That will do — set the hive in the shade. Now, 
Willie, light the rotten wood and blow in a little smoke. 
Minnie, you open the new hive, take out all the frames, 
then the hive is ready to put the frames of honey and 
bees in. Willie, open your hive. Select that comb in 
the center of the hive ; it has plenty of young brood, be 
careful. See that the queen is not on the comb, as you 
want alwa3'^s to leave the queen in the old hive. That 
will do, now set ihe comb in the new hive thaf. Minnie 
has prepared for you. That is right; now put an empty 
frame in the hive where you got the bees from. That is 
good so far — close up the hive. Open the next hive and 
take out another frame, and continue to take one frame 
from hives enough to fill the new hive. Leave room for 
one empty frame, and set that in the middle of the hive. 
Now give them a queen bee, and your work is done. 

In another lesson I will tell you how to raise queens 
and keep them constantly on hand. Let us now review, 
and see what we have done. Well, we have made one 
new colony by taking one full frame of bees from a num- 
ber of hives, and have made the new hive as strong as 
any of the old ones. The hives all have but one empty 
frame, which they will soon fill with comb and young 
bees. 

Now, if the weather is fair, and stocks are wanted, in- 
stead of surplus honey, you may continue dividing iu the 



IN BEE CULTURE. 19 

same way every few days. In that way your stocks, both 
old and new, are always strong. 

Pa, it seems to me that when the bees were taken from so 
many hives they would fight and kill each other ! Almost 
any one would think as you do, my son, until they try it 
for themselves, and tind to their utmost surprise that the 
bees will not fight, and very few bees will leave the new 
hive to return to the old hive. The reason for this, my 
children, is that they realize they have been transferred 
to new quarters, that all their surroundings are new, and 
when they leave their new home for the first time they 
mark their location, just as they do after natural swarm- 
ing. 

Here is another advantage in making colonies in this 
way. We find no trouble, or but little, in introducing a 
young, unfertile queen, if done at the time, or within one 
hour after making up the colony. Still, at the same time, 
perhaps it would be better for the new beginner to put 
the queen in a wire cage, and slip it in between the combs 
in the hive for a few hours, at least, as they will some- 
times hug the young unfertile queen before they are 
aware of the loss of the old queen. The introduction of 
an unfertile queen bee among a colony of bees at certain 
times raises an excitement that is not easily quelled. At 
other times they may be introduced with impunity, the 
bees receiving her with marks of sincere courtesy and re- 
spect, and no questions asked. 

We have never had any trouble introducing fertile 
queens to new colonies ; neither have we, to our knowl- 
edge, lost a single queen; and it has always been our 
practice, when we had fertile queens on hand, as soon as 
we made up the colony and closed up the hive, we carried 
the queen to the entrance and let her go. And we have 
no hesitation in recommending the same practice to all 
new beginners ; but the new beginner would do well to 
cage unfertile queens, for fear of danger when introduc- 
ing them. 

When we come to take up the subject of queen breed- 



20 FIRST LESSONS 

ing, in another chapter, we shall try to show bee keepers 
that it is to their advantage to always keep on hand 
enough fertile queens to supply all newly made colonies 
at the time of making them up ; and, now, as to how 
many colonies can be made from one, we will say, if the 
novices in bee culture will follow our practice, they may 
increase their colonies in one season to almost any 
number. 



LESSOIST E. 



NATURAL SWARMING CONSIDERED, AND OBJECTIONS 
POINTED OUT. 



You will remember, my children, that I promised to 
tell you something about natural swarming, or, in other 
words, allowing the bees to swarm whenever they were 
ready. This, by some, is considered to be the most satis- 
factory way. They claim that nature has endowed them 
with instincts, and that we should let nature's teaching 
alone. The advocates of natural swarming claim that 
artificial swarming being unnatural, is consequently in- 
jurious to the bees. Let us for a few minutes examine 
their claims, and if they can make a good case, then we 
will give it up. 

Mr. Jones has a fine apiary to commence with. The 
middle of May we have frost, and the sunny days of June 
are nearly upon us. The bees are making every prepar- 
ation to cast off swarms. There are thousands of bees 
lying idly around the entrance of the hive. The apia- 
rian looks forward to the time when he will have a fine 
increase of stocks. He tells his wife to carefully watch 
the bees, for fear they will run away ; but towards noon 
the bright and beautiful day is changed, the heavens are 
covered with clouds, a cold breeze springs up from the 
north. Soon the rain is seen to fall, and finally it comes 



IN BEE CULTURE. 21 

in torrents. All right — the next day is cold and cloudy, 
and the day following likewise. 

The first day of June, beautiful, leafy June. The sun 
rises in all its glory; the bees are out again gathering 
honey from all the beautiful flowers. The farmer says to 
his wife, watch the bees, they certainl}'' will swarm. The 
days come and go, clear and beautiful. The 10th of June 
passes. The bees are still lying idle at the entrance. 
The 12th has come — the good wife still watching. Far- 
mer says "Confound the bees, why don't they swarm?" 
Again there comes a change in the weather, cool winds 
and rain; four or live cloudy days. Again it is clear, the 
bees are still busy, but they don't swarm. The 1st of 
July is near at hand with its rains, clouds and sunshine, 
perhaps constant rain for a few days; and then, perhaps, 
beautiful weather till near the 15th of July. 

The bees are still lying idly at the entrance of the 
hive. It rains again for a few days. " Bees can't swarm 
when it rains," says farmer Jones. Why don't they swarm 
when its clear weather ? That is the question, Mr. Jones, 
that's the point that has puzzled many bee keepers long 
before your advent upon the stage of life. You say "Con- 
found the bees, you don't believe they mean to swarm. 
Why, the season is passed and not one swarm yet." This, 
my friend, is a true picture, and one which many bee keep- 
ers have looked at year alter year, without knowing the 
real cause. 

Now, Willie, let rae tell you why the bees did not 
swarm. It was this: just as the bees had capped over 
their queen cells, they were nearly ready to swarm. The 
rain came on ; the bees saw that the weather was unfa- 
vorable for swarming. They left the queen cells, when 
the old queen at once destroyed the young queen while 
in the cell. That would delay swarming for at least two 
weeks longer. The young queen comes from the cell— 
her doom is sealed. Either one of the above causes wif 
seal the doom of the young queen. Then how exceed- 
ingly small is the chance of colonies by natural swarm- 



22 FIRST LESSONS 

iiig. There is uo dependence to be i)laced in them. But 
bees do swarm naturally, and I will now call your atten- 
tion to a season when natural swarming actually does 
take place. 

Mr. Jones is now all excitement; he leaves the field at 
the sound of the horn, to attend to hiving his bees. 
About the time he gets back to his work, toot goes the 
horn again. Mr. Jones is again heard to indulge in con- 
founding his bees. In the first place he confounded 
them because they did not swarm; and now, confounds 
them because they do swarm. 

We will not follow Mr. Jones any further in his field 
labors, and before we part with the good wife, we will 
bestow upon her our blessings, and long life to the horn. 
We will now confine our observations to the seasons, both 
old and new, and see how they get along; and to give 
Mr. Jones every advantage of a favorable season, we will 
suppose the season is good ; that the bees have more 
honey than they can possibly gather. Now Mr. Jones 
has all that heart can wish. Pirst, natural swarms, sec- 
ondly, the flowers are ladened with honey, these being 
two grand requisites in successful bee culture. 

We will now watch Mr. Jones's bees every day. We 
take a look at them and see how they do. Let us now go 
to the hive that cast the first swarm, and see if the young 
queen has made her appearance. The hive is open — 
there she is, my son, just crawling out of the cell. Oh! 
how lovely. She, my son, is to be the future mother of 
this colony. Now let us look at this young queen and 
follow her for a few days. She leaves the hive on the 
day she is five days old, on what is termed her nuptial 
excursion. It may be from seven to ten days, but we 
will suppose that she leaves at the shortest period, five 
days. Three days after that she commences to lay eggs. 
Now get your pencils and let us figure a little. A fertile 
queen during the brooding season, will lay from tioo to 
three thousand eggs every tvjentyfoitr hours. Now let us 
see, the young queen is ei^ht days old before she lays a 



IN BEE CULTURE. 23 

single egg. If she lays but tvjo thousand eggs dail}'', there 
is a loss of sixteen thousand bees right in the middle of 
the honey harvest. We will suppose that she lays three 
thousand eggs daily, then there is a loss of twenty-four 
thousand bees, enough to make a good swarm. But that 
is not the worst view of it. During the time the queen 
was laying no eggs, the bees were constantly filling up 
the hives with honey, so as to leave the young queen but 
little spare comb to deposit her eggs in. We have a hive 
now, well filled with honey. In about sixteen days after 
the first swarm, we may look for a second swarm, and 
again there is a loss of another eight days before the 
young queen commences to lay. 

Now what is the result? The bees have filled the hive 
from top to bottom with honey, and little or no place 
left for the queen to deposit eggs, and soon the bees com- 
mence to dwindle away, and the first thing Mr. Jones 
knows, he has not a single bee in the hive. He opens up 
the hive, and finds it full of honey, but no bees. Mr. 
Jones is surprised that his bees should have left him so 
unceremoniously. Mr. Jones is not the first man who 
has lost bees in that way. This is a common occurrence, 
and happens very frequently when the honey harvest is 
abundant. The reason for the disappearance of the bees, 
my children, is, that the queen did not have enough room 
to deposit her eggs, and the old bees so soon dying off, 
left the queen with but few bees, when they all took 
their leave, leaving the hive full of honey. 

Now let us go back and look after the first swarm. 
They had the advantage from the fact of having the old 
queen with them, but as fast as the bees built comb, the 
bees filled it with honey. True, the queen was on the alert, 
but still the bees are filling the hive with honey, and do 
as the queen could, she is hampered, and the hive is full 
of comb and honey. Winter approaches ; the bees have 
but little empty comb to cluster in, and the result is 
death to the colony the first cold weather. Bees can not 
live between combs filled with honey in the winter. I 



24 FIRST LESSONS 

have opened hundreds of hives in the condition before 
mentioned. But the bees don't always die ? True, my 
son, but it is only a question of time, when bees are 
left to swarm naturally, as to when they will die. If they 
are in movable-comb hives, they may be equalized and 
kept in good condition, or the surplus honey may be 
thrown out by a honey extractor, and the bees in that 
way furnished with empty comb to winter in. 

Here let me impress it upon your mind, that whether 
you let your bees swarm naturally, or swarm them artifi- 
cially, you must have a movable-comb hive, so that you 
can determine the exact condition of your bees at any 
time. Had Mr. Jones, instead, resorted to making new 
colonies by artificial means, as laid down in this work, he 
could have kept his bees all at work, in the i^lace of 
having them lying around the entrance of the hive 
all summer, living upon the honey gathered by a few 
industrious bees. The true doctrine is to keep all at 
work, and it can not be done by any other means than 
by artificial swarming. 

There is another objection to natural swarming, and 
that is that many swarms are lost by going away to the 
forest. And I would say here in all candor — take away 
from me that movable-comb principle, and deprive me 
of the advantages of artificial swarming, and force me to 
fall back upon the old plan of keeping bees, and I would 
not keep a bee another day. I do not wonder at it, when 
I hear some farmer say, ''Well sir, I have kept bees for 
twenty, thirty or forty years, and somehow they do but 
little good. I scarcely ever get any honey or bees 
either." Ask him about the care of his bees, and he will 
frankly tell you that his bees take care of themselves. 
Such a practice would result in no gain whatever, and 
would eventual]}' result in the loss of his bees. 



IN BEE CULTURE. 26 



LESSOISr F. 



fTALlAN BEES AND THEIR HISTORY. 



Well, my children, we must now be off to the apiarj 
for another lesson in bee culture. And my subject this 
morning will be upon the beautiful Italian or Liguriar 
Bee. And you, Ellen, may come too. This variety of 
the honey bee was found in small districts amid the Alpt 
in Switzerland and Northern Italy. They are of a striped 
golden color, and were described by very ancient writer; 
as being of a very valuable kind. But for centuries they 
remained in that location not known outside, until they 
were accidentally discovered by Capt. Baldestein in the 
wars of Napoleon, who carried them across the Alps, in 
1843, and in 1853 they were introduced into Germany. 
In 1859 the iirst stocks came across the waters to our own 
shores, for one Mr. Colvin ; but, unfortunately, he was not 
successful. They all died the following winter. But in 
the following season Mr. Mahan was successful, he super- 
intending their voyage in person. 

Shortly after Mr. Mahan's importation, S. B. Parsons, 
of Flushing, Long Island, succeeded in getting a few 
swarms over alive from Italy. From these, by the help 
of many other apiarians, he has succeeded in raising a 
large number of queens, which have been sent to nearly 
every State in the Union. Since then there have been 
numerous importations by others, and the Italian bee is 
now getting very common. 

Is the Italian bee an improvement ? Yes, my son, they 
are far superior to our common black or German bees. 
In the first place they are alittle larger and very beautiful. 
They have three distinct golden or leather colored bands 
running around the body. The first one is small and 
scarcely perceptible, commencing at the thorax. The 



2^ FIRST LESSONS 

next two are much broader, and I have seen some bees 
that had four beautiful bands. The number of bands, 
undoubtedly, is a test of their purity ; and, I am of the 
opinion that a pure colony of Italian bees will always 
show three distinct leather colored bands, and the 
colony be of uniform color. I am aware that I am tak- 
ing a position that is controverted by many. Be that as 
it may, I am compelled to take that stand, for many 
reasons. I will give you one, and pass on for the present. 
I have often tried to raise Italian queens from the eggs 
of the queen- that breed two and three banded bees, 
and I never found one that would breed pure queens. 
You ask me how I know? I will tell you: The bees 
invariably show unmistakable signs of impurity, hav- 
ing but one or two bands, and some of them even jione ; 
and, occasionally, one of tlie queens would be black. I 
admit that there are some Italian queens that are very 
dark, and yet breed the most beautiful bees. Let me 
see the young queen, and I will tell you whether the 
mother is pure ; and I will here say, that a queen that 
will duplicate herself every time, is very valuable. 

Pardon me, my children, for departing from our lesson. 
We will now notice other advantages which the Italian 
bee possesses over the common bees. 

THEIR STRENGTH. 

Their individual strength being greater, they fly with 
less fatigue, and are more active and successful in de- 
fending themselves against their enemies, or their stores 
against the moth-miller. 

THEY HAVE MORE HONEY SOURCES. 

It is said by those who keep them, that they gather 
honey from sources in which other bees fail — such as the 
iron-weed, thistle, and the seed-crop of red clover, and 
many other flowers which are seldom visited by the black 
bee. It seems that their proboscis is longer, that they 



IN BEE CULTURE. 27 

can reach the honey-cups of ilov/ers which the other bees 
can not. 

THEY ARE MOKE INDUSTRIOUS. 

They work more steadily during the season, and they 
continue their season longer, working even when there 
is little honey to be gathered from any source. 

THEY BREED FASTER. 

It is a well known fact that breeding keeps pace with 
Iioney gathering. The result is strong stocks, which se- 
cure a large product of honey, and consequently are 
l)roof against the moth and poor seasons. Hence the 
large profits arising from them. Their stocks always 
being strong, they breed earlier in the season, and con- 
tinue later, casting larger swarms. They will actually 
swarm about two weeks earlier than the black bee, 
thereby gaining that much time in the best part of the 
honey-gathering season. 

EASIER HANDLED. 

In opening a hive, the queen of the Italians is more 
readily found, from the fact that the workers are gener- 
ally all busy, and her majesty remains undisturbed on 
the combs. They being more constant workers are less 
inclined to rob, are more peaceable, and less inclined to 
use their sting than the native bee. Being hardier, they 
are longer lived, and winter more safely; and, when a 
queen is past her prime, they are more apt to supersede 
her, while the common bees will remain queenless, and 
thus dwindle down and fall an easy prey to the moth. 

^ : HOW TO ITALIANIZE. 

I have now briefly sliown you their importance. I will 
now give you a few hints how to change your common 
stocks to Italians. The llrst step is to remove the native 
queen. She is most easily found by opening the hive, 



28 • FIRST LESSONS 

near the middle of a clear day, when many of the bees 
are absent in the field; handle the combs carefully, look- 
ing over one at a time ; if she can not be found in this 
manner, it will be necessary to shake or brush the bees 
off on a sheet, and as they crawl for the hive she may 
be seen ; then capture and destroy her. Use the smoke 
sparingly. If they f[y, or show too much sign of it, you 
might sprinkle them slightly with water. 

After you have destroyed the common queeiJ,you may 
place the Italian quaen in a wire cage, having both ends 
stopped up to keep the queen secure. Slip the cage be- 
tween two combs containing honey, where she can reach 
the honey in case the bees reiuse to feed her. Let her 
remain in that position twenty-four or thirty-six hours, 
then openthe hive quietly; pull out one stopper; close 
the hive and let her crawl out at her own pleasure. Since 
following this plan, we have never lost one queen in 
introducing. 

I will now tell you how to Italianize your colony when 
you have only one queen to do it with. If you get the 
queen in the fall of the year, prepare a strong hive for 
early breeding the coming season. See that you have, 
at least, one frame of drone comb in the center of the 
hive, then stimulate your bees by feeding as directed in 
another chapter, commencing about the 1st of February. 
The queen will then commence to lay eggs ; and the 
colony being a strong one, the queen will fill the drone 
comb full of eggs. By following this plan, you can have 
drones out in March or the 1st of April. We will now 
suppose that you are using a movable-comb hive. The 
first step for you to take, is to open one hive — a very 
strong one is best — hunt out the queen and destroy her. 
Now, exchange the frames with the Italian colony (as 
described in another chapter) leaving all bees in their 
own colony. The queenless colony will at once build 
queen cells, and it may be, that they will build them in 
four or five different frames. If so, you can Italianize as 
many colonies as you have frames with queen cells on. 



IN BEE CULTURE. 29 

Frames having queen cells on, will be ready to remove 
to another colony about the ninth day after removing 
the common queen. On the day before you remove the 
queen cells, open as many hives as you have frames con- 
taining queen cells, and destroy the common queens. 
On the next day, take one frame from each colony ; shake 
oflf the bees and exchange the frame for one that has a 
queen cell on, and your work is done. You should leave 
one queen cell in the hive where they were reared. 
You will remember that I have already told you that it 
was not necessary to leave any frames containing comb 
with an Italian queen longer than six days. Any six 
days the frames may be taken out, when you are Italian- 
izing or raising queens. 

My children, this is a subject which will require 
thought and study. We have tried to make this lesson 
as plain and comprehensible as possible, so that any one 
having even one Italian queen, can Italianize his entire 
apiary before the common drones make their appearance 
in the Spring. 



LE SSOJSr Gr. 

WINTERING BEES. 



As I enter on this subiect I am aware there is a diver- 
sity of opinion existing among practical apiarians as 
regards the protection of bees from the inclemency of 
the weather. Some will tell you to keep them warm ; 
others will say, keep them cold. Some prefer to bury 
them in the ground, or put them in the cellar ; another 
will advise carrying them to the chamber, wood-house, 
and about forty other places; enough to puzzle the 
inexperienced bee-keeper. Yet, no doubt but what bees 
have been sometimes successfully wintered in all of 
these contradictory methods. Yet it is also true that 



30 FIRST LESSONS 

some of these methods are much superior to others. But 
what the common bee keeper wants is the most practical 
method. Warmth is the first and main requisite. By 
this, we do not mean that they should be kept uncom- 
fortably warm, nor below the freezing point. An even 
temperature is most desirable, at about the right degree 
of heat; and whatever method produces that, that is the 
one to accept. Dryness is another essential to the suc- 
cessful wintering of bees. These are the two great 
essentials in wintering bees — dryness, and even temper- 
ature, something a little above the freezing point. And, 
if we were asked to-day, by the novice in bee culture, 
where he should winter his bees, we would tell him: 
Let them stand on their summer stands, and keep them 
there until you thoroughly understand bee culture. 

We have noticed that new beginners invariably follow 
after some of the plans laid down by the different writers 
upon apiculture, and generally result in the loss of many 
valuable colonies. Now who is to blame ? Not the 
writers, certainly; for they all carry their bees through 
the winter in good condition. But here is where the 
trouble is — there are many points which the novice never 
gets, or, if they do, they do not comprehend the meaning 
until they have lost many valuable colonies. I have a 
case at hand: A friend of mine had bought a line colony 
of Italian bees ; they had plenty of honey to carry them 
through the winter. He told me at the close of the 
honey season, that he was determined that they should 
not freeze the coming winter ; he intended to keep them 
in a good and safe place, so they would come out strong 
in the spring. Well, time went on — some time during 
the winter, I called at his shop, and the first thing I 
heard on entering, was a colony of bees humming away 
furiously. Said I, *'Mr. Gooding, what have you there?" 
"That," said he, '"is my fine colony of Italian bees, that I 
was telling you of" "Well, how long have you kept them 
in here ?" "Ever since they were taken from their summer 
stands." "And you have had fire in this room every day, 



IN BEE CULTURE. 31 

and worked in it too ?" "Yes sir !" "Well now, Mr. Gooding 
we have only to say to you : take your pencil and write 
upon that hive dead P' Said he, "you don't mean to say 
that they will die?" "Yes, sir, nothing will save them." 
He at once carried them to the cellar, but long before 
the weather changed so that they could be set out, they 
had died ; and that was the only colony that Gooding 
lost that winter. You ask me what caused their death. 
That is easily answered : the room was kept too warm, 
and the pounding kept the bees excited all the time. 
Bees must be kept where there is no artificial heat, and 
all must be quiet. The least jar will cause the bees to 
fill themselves, and if they can't get out to discharge 
their fgeces it is injurious to them. And now let me 
say that I have found Goodings living all over the 
country, and in every school district, with their bees 
stored away in a verj- bad condition, worse than if left 
out on the summer stands. Again we say, better leave 
your bees out, than to lose them while in winter quar- 
ters. We would, however, advise you to remove the top 
of your hive, honey boxes and honey board, if you have 
one, and draw over the hive two or three thicknesses of 
old wollen cloth, or carpet, or any thing which absorbs 
all of the moifture and gases which arise from the bees. 
Having done this, you may set on your top, to keep out 
the rain and snow. Remember, the cover should be well 
ventilated. 

If the novice will follow the directions laid down in 
this chapter, I hey will have but few bees to die in win- 
ter, unless it is for the want of honey ; and this would 
never occur, if the bee keeper would look after his bees 
as soon as the honey season closed. The weak colonies 
should be made strong by exchanging frames with strong 
colonies, giving the weak ones combs containing brood, 
bees and honey enough to make the weak strong. The 
apiarian can, if careful, equalize his colonies and have 
all strong and ready for winter. 

For more particulars, see chapter on Artificial Swarming. 



32 FIRST LESSONS 



LESSON^ H. 



ROBBING. 



In robbing bees partake somewhat of man's nature, 
that is, slightly inclined to pelf. It is not the weak and 
most needy that partake of this spirit, but the contrary, 
generally. The healthiest and strongest swarms do so 
Robbing, with bees, is generally performed in spring 
when flowers are scarce, or in the fall after they fail. 

IT IS DIFFICULT TO KNOW. 

I suppose there is nothing about handling bees as diflS- 
cult to understand, or to be certain of, as robbing. You 
are liable to be deceived. 

WHAT SWARMS OR STOCKS ARE LIABLE. 

Late swarms are liable, from the fact that they are 
weak, and unable to defend their stores ; also any weak 
stock, no matter whether old or young. Queenless 
stocks are apt to become weak and depopulated, and con- 
sequently become victims. 

INDICATIONS OF ROBBEKSt 

Robbers may be known by their buzzing around the 
hive in a suspicious manner. Should one alight, he is in 
danger of being hurled from the entrance, and sometimes 
receives a fatal sting. We may often see them in com- 
bat; an(^ if the colony is weak there is danger of over- 
coming them, but if the colony is strong, there is not 
much danger. In fact, a strong colony is hardly ever 
overcome by robbers. 

THE bee-keeper's DUTY. 

Although I have said that it was most difficult to decide 
when robbers commence their depredations, yet the pru- 



IN BEE CULTURE, 



^ 



dent and careful bee-keeper will know the condition of 
all his stocks. He will know which are his weak stocks. 
Such ones should have the entrance closed, allowing only 
one bee to pass at a time. 

Gum camphor placed in the entrance will drive the 
robbers away. 

PREPARING BEES FOR WINTER. 

Every hive should be thoroughly overhauled before 
cold weather sets in, so as to ascertain their exact condi- 
tion. If you are using movable-comb hives it is an easy 
matter to attend to it. Ever}'' hive should be opened up, 
every comb examined carefully. Look lor moths, or the 
work of them. If any are found, cut them all out. See 
that they have honey enough to last them during the 
winter. Twenty-live pounds is enough in our latitude. If 
they have not, change a frame or two with a colony that 
have honey to spare. See that your hives are not full of 
honey. If they are your bees could not live in such a 
hive, with a cold wall of honey on each side. You must 
give your bees empty comb to winter in, or else they 
will certainly freeze. Where you have a number of 
movable-comb Iiives, equalize your colonies by exchang- 
ing frames, and by that means you benefit all. 



LESSON" I. 



HIVES. 



I have not left this subject off until the present because 
I thought it not of much importance. It is probably of 
the most benefit to the bee-keeper, and I trust that I 
shall so show it to your mind. 

As regards bee-hives at this enlightened day, none ex- 
cept movable-comb frames of some kind are considered 
advisable, with enterprising bee-keepers. 
3 



34 FIRST LESSONS 

VALUE. 

The value of a hive depends upon its size, shape, and 
the advantages secured in its construction. 

SIZE, 

Experience has demonstrated that it should be a pro- 
portionate and suitable size. We want a hive to contain 
fully two thousand cubic inches in the clear, which would 
be twelve inches square, and about fourteen inches high, 
in the clear. This does not include the honey-boxes or 
the surplus honey room, but it is what is required for a 
common colony for brood and supplies. It is essential, if 
you use movable combs, that thev should all be of a size, 
so that one set of frames will fit in any hive in which you 
should accidentally need them. The above dimensions 
do not include the room that is occupied by frames for 
movable combs. If they are used it should be an inch 
or two larger each way. 

SHAPE. 

I am aware that I again approach a critical point, 
where there is a wide difference of opinion, ranging from 
the old gum-hive up to the modern bee-palace. While I 
would warn you of either extreme, I would say, be pre- 
pared to judge and choose for yourself Inasmuch as 
the country is flooded with things called bee-hives, and 
each in its turn claiming to be the best, therefore I would 
say that common prudence would dictate much care in 
selecting a hive for use. As regard? the mere wants of 
the honey-bee, shape is not so essential. They may as 
readily accept an old gum or box-hive ; but we have other 
difficulties to contend with, which are not so readily 
overcome, and which can not be met with in either class 
of such hives. 

WHAT A HIVE SHOULD BE. 

Although bees may be kept in a gum, box, or nail keg, 
yet this does not prove their adaptation to the wants of 
the insect, or to the practical handling of them by the 
bee-keeper. 



IN BEE CULTURE. 35 

The public is fully acquainted with the success attend- 
ing bee-keeping in the above-named hives, therefore I 
shall not say much in that direction, because I trust that 
the oldbeeguni and brimstone age has passed away, and 
that we are entering on an enlightened age, where 
science unfolds her glorious banner. I have already ad- 
vised you as to size, jet I wish to say something about the 
movable combs. 

THE ADVANTAGES OF MOVABLE COMBS. 

First. The bees are allowed to work in their natural 
order, making each comb in a separate frame capable of 
being swung open or lifted out at pleasure, making it 
truly a movable comb. 

Second, It gives full control of all the combs, that all 
the necessary operations may be performed without in- 
jury to a single bee. This is of much advantage and im- 
portance to the bee-keeper. 

Third. It gives you at a glance a correct Icnowledge of 
the condition of your stock, having the whole interior, 
and every inch of surface of comb, in view; that in di- 
viding up in the swarming season, or in doubling together 
in the fall, you may know what combs to use or reject. 

Fourth. Another great advantage is, that we can 
watch the progress of queen cells, thus knowing when to 
make artificial, or when to look for natural swarms. 
And here is a fact worthy of notice : Every time that a 
stock change their queen (and that is every time they 
swarm) there is a loss in breeding of from fifteen to twen- 
ty-five thousand bees; the old queen always leaving 
with the first swarm, and there are no more eggs laid, un- 
til the young queen is ready to begin her labors, which is 
generally from fourteen to twenty days. 

Now, as I have shown you, in the chapter on breeding, 
that the queen is capable of laying about two or three 
thousand eggs per day, thus you can reckon what a loss 
you sustain, which can be obviated with the movable 
combs. As soon as there have one or two swarms issued, 



36 FIRST LESSONS 

you can have enough queen cells for several artificial 
swarms. By watching your stocks, you may divide them 
up, giving each a queen cell nearly matured. 

I have thus briefly given you some, but not all, the ad- 
vantages of movable-frames. In considering this subject, 
I am led to believe, without the least doubt, that who- 
ever realizes the greatest possible benefits from his bees, 
must use movable combs in some form. The principles 
involved in them can hardly be dispensed with. This 
subject is of so much importance that I hardly know 
when to leave it. I think the practical beekeeper is 
aware that unless he can have easy access to the interior 
of his hives, and can have control of each and every 
comb, he can not manage his bees successfully any length 

of time. 

Bees many times do well, especially young swarms, for 
the first year, in a common board hive; but after they 
have filled it, the story is told. Then the next thing 
should be to remove a portion of it, and give them a 
chance to refill it. But such an operation as this can not 
be easily efi'ected in a common hive. It has been ascer- 
tained by experienee that bees will make honey nearly 
four times as fast when they can have the central portion 
of the hive to work in, as they would if they are com- 
pelled to carry it all to the uper partof the hive, or in the 
surplus boxes on the top of the hive. 

KEASON WHY BEES WILL MAKE MORE HONEY IN THE CENTER 
OF THE HIVE. 

The reason why they can make honey so much faster 
\n the body part of the hive is simply this : As the great 
nass of the bees are constantly there, they keep ui) that 
amount of animal heat that is necessary to build comb, 
and this without any extra exertion or loss of time on 
their part; whereas, when they build in boxes it takes a 
large number of bees to cluster there in order to gener- 
ate the amount of heat that is required to construct 
comb, which is very great — nearly one hundred degrees. 



IN BEE CULTUKK. 37 

Thus, by having to cluster there for the only purpose of 
generating this required heat, there is a great loss of 
time. Not only this, but the distance a bee has to travel 
after entering the hive is another consideration. It will 
take a bee as long to travel up through the combs to the 
store boxes and back as it will to procure the load of 
honey. 

Now I trust that the reader will readily see the impor- 
tance, and carefully consider the propriety of having 
suitable hives, so that he may reap the utmost benefit. 

MOTH-MILLER. 

The moth is so well known that it is hardly necessary 
to undertake its description. The female miller is much 
larger than the male ; and it is also well known that in its 
larvae or worm state it feeds upon the wax composing the 
cells, and in weak swarms soon envelops whole combs in 
a common ruin, making them utterly unfit for the pur- 
poses of the bee, and in a short time increasing to such 
an extent as to cause the bees to dwindle away and fin- 
ally to leave the hive in despair. I believe if we would 
combine all the other depredators and consider their 
ability for misciiief, and compare them vv^ith the miller, 
we should find its power for the destruction of the bee 
equal to them all. 

The moth, or miller, in its adult state is not so greatly 
to be feared as ils numerous progeny. As the green fly 
is led by its instinct to deposit its eggs on the carcass 
where its ofispring may have its proper food, so with 
the moth. It seeks the hive containing combs, where its 
natural food is at hand for its young. One writer and ven- 
der of hives says that he regards the fear entertained of 
the moth as misdirected, more imaginary than real. To 
this I can not agree, and can not see what induced him to 
make such an assertion, unless the insect was beyond his 
control. You may see him at daytime very piously in- 
clined around some corner of the hive, closely resembling 
a weather-beaten sliver. He is undoubtedly unnoticed 



38 FIRST LESSONS 

by the bees. But as soon as evening draws her mantle 
around, then the miller tlirows off its inactivity and com- 
mences to look for a place to deposit its eggs. 

SMALL STOCKS MOST LIABLE. 

It does not need much argument to prove that a heavy 
and strong swarm will jn'otect the combs to a greater de- 
gree, and that with such the moth has a poor chance to 
deposit its eggs on the comb, where its instinct has 
taught it to place them. But if the combs are w^ell pro- 
tected they must leave their eggs somewhere, and the 
nearer to the combs the better. So, if driven from th© 
combs, the next best place is in the crack or corner of 
the hive, under the edges of the hive, or among the dust 
and dirt on the bottom board of the hive. The eggs will 
here hatch, and the worms will live upon the offal until 
full-grown, and then will leave the hive to assume the 
form of the miller, while those that are deposited in the 
comb eat their v/ay through it, if there is no honey in it; 
but if there is, he scales the outside, eating the scalings, 
being careful as he proceeds to keep his passage-way well 
lined with a silken shroud, gradually enlarging it as he 
increases in size. 

SOME OF THE SYMPTONS. 

You must not expect me to point out every small symp- 
tom, but I will try and give you some of the main ones ; 
and then if you are a close observer you will soon know and 
learn for yoursell^ You may, or will often see a few small 
bees, all webbed together, on the bottom board; or you 
may see small pieces of comb that have been broken off 
by the bees, in order to rid themselves of the ravages of 
the worms; or, later, you will probably discover fewer 
bees in and around your hive ; they are dwindling away. 
This you will readily learn, if you see your bees cftcn as 
you should. It is an important item that we should at 
all times know the actual condition of our bees; and this 
I claim can only be accomplished by the use of movable 



IN BEE CULTURE. 



39 



combs. The above symptoms are principally designed 
for those who use the box hive, and then sometimes we 
are liable to be deceived about the condition of our bees ; 
but with the movable-comb frames it is impossible— we 
may know to a certainty. 

REMEDIES. 

If you are using a common hive, and it gets much in- 
fested by worms, my remedy would be to drive them to a 
new or clean hive. With these kind of hives prevention 
is better than the cure. We can only prevent it by hav- 
ing strong stocks. As soon as a stock becomes weakened 
by any cause, then the moth takes advantage of it, and 
with the box hives we have no way of preventing them. 

DANGER OF DRIVING. 

Some may say. If I drive my bees, is there not danger 
of losing them? They may not make enough honey in 
their new home to do them. This may be so. But the 
truth is this, you are likely to lose them finally. If you 
drive them you secure what little honey there may be in 
the hive, and then you have a chance to destroy all the 
worms and eggs, which otherwise would have matured 
and have become a multiplied jjlague to other colonies. 
When a stock of bees is once much affected with worms, 
it is a very difficult thing to rid them, and, I may say, it is 
next to an impossibility. But with the use of the mova- 
ble comb it is different. We can open them out, and at 
once see which comb or which part of a comb they 
are lodged in, and either extricate them, or, if the comb 
is much infested, cut it out. 

TIME OF THEIR GROWTH. 

When they are first hatched it requires very close in- 
spection to see them with the naked eye. The rapiditj'" 
of their growth depends much upon the temperature of 
their surroundings. Their good living has not so much to 
do with it. If the weather is hot it will onlv take a few 



40 FIRST LLSSOISS 

days to develop them to the full grown worm, while with 
a low temperature it would require weeks, or even 
months, for the eggs to hatch and lo develop into the 
worm state. Then they undergo a transformation and 
become millers. 

THEY DO NOT LIVE THROUGH WINTER, 

A periectmoth never survives the frozen winter. Their 
species is only saved and propagated by the egg which is 
laid the season before. Ii, is a rare tiiiiig to find a miller 
before the latter part of May or the middle of June. 
After thib time they are very numerous until cold 
weather appears. Then il there are any weak stocks of 
bees — stocks that are not able to protect all their combs 
— the moth takes advantage of the occasion and deposits 
its eggs, and there they remain for the next season. Then 
1 would earnestly recommend you to keep all your stocks 
strong. Light swarms must be doubled up, or loss is 
certain. 

And in concluding this subject let me add, that all 
profit is seldom obtained in any pursuit without some 
care and pain. If you plant a field of corn you do not 
expect that the v/hole work for the crop is done. 
Neither should you expect when you set up a stock of 
bees that a full yield will be realized without something 
more. Although tliey do not require that unceasing 
care as the growing of a crop or the rearing of some an- 
imals, yet, if you expect to be remunerated to the great- 
est extent, you must bestow that necessary ]protection 
and care that their noble nature demands. 



TN BEE CULTURE. 41 



LESSOI^ J. 



TPIE APIARY-ITS LOCATION. 



Ill locating an apiary one essential consideration is 
necessary, and that is, to have it in a suitable locality 
where it will be convenient to watch the hives during the 
swarming season, that you may at any time, from a door 
or vvundow, see when a swarm issues. Otherwise its lo- 
cation is not so essential, for each one Vv'ill, in choosing a 
site, be governed by the circumstances. 

PROTECTION. 

If possible, the hives should stand vdiere they will be 
protected from the northern and western winds. This 
may be accomplished by building a high and light board 
fence on the west and north sides of your grounds where 
you expect to set your hives. By doing this, you will 
save more than bees enough to pliy for the trouble ; for 
during the spring and fall we have much high wind, and 
bees returning home heavy laden are not able to reach 
the hive, and are blown away and lost, for at such times 
we generally have cold nights. It is good economy to 
have the necessary protection, for enough bees v/ill be 
saved to pay the expenses; for, be it remembered that 
one bee saved in early spring is worth more to the stock 
and to the bee-keeper than one dozen in middle summer. 

CHEAP CONSTRUCTION OF STANDS. 

We recommend that the hives should be set on low 
stands near the ground. Whatever is the mode of cou- 
struction of stands, I would recommend to you to place 
them close to the ground. The benefit to be derived from 
this plan is that weak or fatigued bees, if it should hap- 
pen to be windy, are likely to miss the stand and fall 
on the ground, and, as they can crawl when they are im- 



42 FIRST LESSONS 

able to fly, they make their ^yay to the stand and enter 
the hive and are saved ; VvhiJe, if the hive had been some 
one or two feet from the ground, they wouhl undoubtly 
perish. 

SOME or THE ADVANTAGES. 

Suppose, for instance, we phice our stands some two or 
three feet from the earth. Wiien approached by the bees 
on a chilly afiernoon (;md we have plenty of such in 
early spring), or toward evening, even if there is not 
much wind, they are very apt to be heavily loaded, and 
are likely to miss the hive and bottom board and fall on 
the ground. If unable to rise, they perish. Otherwise, 
if the hive had been low, they would have made their 
homes secure. In this way we may save thousands of 
bees annually. Enough may be saved in one spring from 
a few hives to make a large swarm. A little forethought 
is all that is necessary. 

AN OBJECTION OFFERED. 

But, says one, if you place your bees so near the earth 
they will draw dampness, and the combs mold. I think 
this all imaginary. A circulation ol air between the bot- 
tom board and the ground is all that is necessary. 

BEE-HOUSES. 

Now, kind reader, I have carefully gone over the 
ground of the apiary. I have, in a former chapter, told 
you about hives. I there strongly recommended you to 
use movable combs. I would still urge their utility; and 
in leaving this part of the subject I would say, be cau- 
tious, and consider well your undertakings. If you do so, 
,/ou will be bountifully rewarded. I would say there is 
no more necessity of having j^our bees run out or dwin- 
dle down than there is for your cattle, or sheep, or any- 
thing else that is kept on a larm. Give them a proper 
hive, and if suitably situated and protected with the 
proper care and attention, at the time when they need it, 
they will repay j'^ou better than anything else kept on a 
farm. 



IN BEE CULTURE. 43 



lesso:n" 



BEE PASTlTtAGE-WHAT IS HONEY? 



Most common observers tbir.k that the little honey- 
bee actually makes honey by transforming the sweets in 
some shape or other. Bat this is not the case. There 
has never been one pound of honey made by bees, 
lloncy is a liquid svs^eet secreted more or less by all flow- 
ers, and is merely gathered and stored in the combs by 
the bees. Honey and pollen are not onl}'' secreted by all 
flowers, but nearly all the flowering trees and plants of 
the vegetable kingdom yield a supply for the honey- 
workers. 

I vvill now name a few of the leading sorts that yield a 
continuous supply throughout the season. The flrst that 
seem to offer their products are the alder, soft maple, and 
the willows. Of th-; latter there are several varieties, 
which put forth their blossoms very irregularly, some 
a full month earlier than others. These all afford much 
pollen. So much, then, for the production of the swamp. 
Then closely follows the hard maple or sugar-tree. This 
suits the bees much better. Then soon after we have the 
gooseberry, currant, peach, pear, and cherry, all of which 
are richly stored with honey, which is about the first ob- 
tained. Next in succession are the apple blossoms 
which afford a real harvest. Kaspberries also yield an 
excessive flow of excellent honey. Then comes, with the 
month of June, white clover, which is usually the chief 
source of surplus honey. The honey from this plant is 
of a superior quality, of great value everywhere. The 
plant continues in bloom about two months, yielding 
large supplies of honey, making it a valuable pasturage 
for the bee-keeper. After this we have white-wood or 
poplar. This secretes much saccharine matter, which is 



44 FIRST LESSONS 

sought after by the bees. Catnip, strawberries, honey- 
suckle, hoarhound, and various other garden flowers, are 
rich in honey, and valuable when in sufficient quantities. 
The locust-tree is a great j)roducer of honey, and gener- 
ally attracts multitudes of bees while other flowers are 
neglected. Basswood, or the linden tree, opens its ten 
thousand petals about the flrst of July, and yields much 
honey, which is clear and transparent as water, looking 
superior to the clear white honey, but in flavor is inferior. 
But during the blooming of tJiis tree, where it is plentiful, 
bees will accumulate in astonishing quantities. 

As I pass along I would not forget to mention the value 
of white clover, which, owing to the length of its season, 
makes an important item to the honey-bee. Also, mus- 
tard, pumpkins, melons, and many other flowers, all pro- 
duce honey. 

And lastly, but not least, is buckwheat. It is an im- 
portant honey source. It is a great harvest, and in some 
seasons is their main and only dependence for surjjlus 
hone}^. 

DO BEES INJURE TUE CROPS ? 

This question, I am sorry to say, of bees injuring the 
crops, has had many advocates. It is nothing but a silly 
prejudice against bees, entertained by some covetous 
fruit-grower, based on the notion that the crops are injur- 
iously afl^ected both in quantity and quality. It is an un- 
founded notion, and it derives no support from close 
observation and science. Yet it occasionally looms up 
and creates much alarm, as the appearance of a comet 
did in the by-gone days. 

I claim that this nectar passes off, and is lost, if not col- 
lected by the bees. It is the sweet secreted by the flower 
which produces this nectar. 

I will now give you an instance of a lady in Germany, 
which happened a few years ago. She estalished, at con- 
siderable expense, a green-house, and stocked it with a 
great variety of choice native and exotic fruit trees, ex- 
pecting, in due time, to have remunerative crops. Time 



IN BEE CULTURE. 45 

passed, and annually there was a superabundance of blos- 
soms, with only very little fruit. Various plans were de- 
vised and adopted to bring the trees into bearing, but 
without any success, till it was suggested that the blos- 
soms needed fertilization, and that by means of bees the 
needed work could be done. And a hive of busy work- 
ers was introduced the next season ; the remedy was 
effectual ; there was no longer any difficulty in producing 
crops there, the bees distributed the pollen, and the set- 
ting of fruit followed naturally. 

But some will contend that bees do injury to the crop 
by extracting the lioney from the flowers, and they will 
say: "Is it not reasonable, that if a portion of the plant 
is taken away by the bees, there must be a less quantity 
of material left for the formation of seed," etc. It is a 
fact, that if a person has an opinion formed, he will build 
up strong proofei in his favor, which he thinks he can sub- 
stantiate by satisfactory reasons. 

BUT WHAT ARE THE FACTS? 

The flowers expand, and a set of vessels pour into the 
cup, or nectar}', a minute portion of honey. And strong 
testimony proves very plainly that it never again enters 
the stock or flower, but there it evaporates like water. 
For instance, in passing a field of buckwheat in full 
bloom, we are assured of the presence of hone}'' in the air. 
Now, what is the difl'erence whether this honey passes 
olT in the air, or whether it is collected by the bees ? If 
any difl'erence, it appears in favor of the bees getting it, 
for it thus answers an important end in the economy of 
nature. 

Now, instead of the bees being an injury to the crop, I 
shall prove to you that they are an advantage. The sta- 
mens and pistils of flowers answer the different organs 
and sexes, that is, male and female. The stamen is the 
male, which furnishes the pollen ; the pistil is the female, 
which must be impregnated by this dust or pollen from 
the stamen, or no fruit will be produced. Now, as we all 



46 FIRST LESSONS 

know that the breeding in and in of animals is detrimen- 
tal, so it is in the vegetable kingdom. The pollen from 
one flower always falling on the pistils of its own flowers, 
would deteriorate. Thus it becomes necessary that the 
pollen produced by the stamen of one flower shall fertil- 
ize the pistil of another, to prevent barrenness. This is 
fully accomplished by the bees traversing from flower to 
flower, and carrying the pollen sticking to their legs and 
wings to the next flower, and impregnating the pistils of 
it. This was the case with the above lady's green-house. 

The necessity was seen and planned by the All-wise 
Governor. He has created the bee for the flower and the 
flower for the bee ; endowed the plant with the power of 
secreting the liquid sweet, and given the honey-bee the 
instinct to search after it and treasure it up for its own as 
well as for man's wants. 

Says Mr. Packard : '• If all the bees were to be de- 
stroyed, I for one, if a farmer, would prefer to go into 
some other business." This prejudice against bees seems 
to me would have no foundation ; and I hope that the day 
is dawning when it will be done away with. 

A DRY oil A WET SEASON FOR BEES. 

The inquiry is often made, " What kind of a season is 
best for bees?" 1 would say that this point has been 
watched very closely, and, like many other occupations, 
an extreme either way is not the most beneficial, but 
a medium between the two extremes produces the most 
honey. But if I had to choose one or the other, I would 
gladly accept the dry season. A wet season washes 
much honey out of the flowers, and it is also unfavorable 
for the bees to work. 

Says Butler : " The hotter and the dryer the season is 
the greater and more fragrant are the honey-dews." 
Cold and wet weather is unkind for them. Much rain at 
any time, as coming from a higher region, wasteth away 
that which is, so there can be no more until another fit 
of hot and dry weather. Dry weather makes plenty of 



IN BEE CULTURE. 47 

honey, and warm, moist weather plenty of swarmvS. A 
warm, calm, and moist spring canseth many and early 
swarms, but sudden storms do hinder them." 
The above extracts are from the American Bee Journal. 

CONCLUSION. 

After considering this subject of bee pasturage or 
honey sources in some detail, I will only add that there 
might have been much more said ; and still I think there 
has been sufficient. That part that relates to the injury 
of crops by bees I hope that the reader will carefully 
consider. It may be of practical benefit to him some 
day. I abbreviated it as much as possible, and hope that 
I will be understood. 

Although honej'- is gathered from nearly all plants, 
shrubs, and trees, yet there are only a few predominant 
sources namely, apple, bass-wood, clover, buckwheat, 
and, in a few localities, honey-dew. But clover is the 
only universal dependence, as that flourishes almost 
everywhere, to some extent. Buckwheat, in some places, 
is the main source for later supplies, while bass-wood is 
confined to certain localities, and is of short duration ; 
but the time, limited as it is, nevertheless affords a most 
bountiful and acceptable supply. And we have apple 
blossoms for the rearing of brooub in early spring. Thus 
we have a regular chain of supplies all nicely arranged 
by the Creator. 

Where all of the above supplies are found, and are 
abundant, there is the true Eldorado of the apiarian. 
But give a favorable season for clover and buckwheat, 
and I will insure the bee-keeper plenty of honey. And 
now, lest I forget it, I would recommend the sowing of a 
small piece of buckwheat some tv/o or three weeks ear- 
lier than the usual crop is sown, which will pay in honey, 
if the grain, perchance, is not so good. If we want to 
keep many bees, it is well to make some little arrange- 
ments with our crops. But I may say more on this be- 
fore I leave the subject. 



48 FIRST LESSONS 

OVEESTOCKINa. 

To a person acquainted with the immense honey re- 
sources of our country, a question might naturally arise, 
Will not this branch of enterprise be overdone ? or, Will 
there not be more bees kept than there will be profitable 
pasturage for? To this, and all such questions, I would 
say, that it might be possible to confine an over-amount 
of bees in a certain locality, where they would not make 
it profitable, yet it is a question that needs much argu- 
ment and proof, whether it could be done or not — the 
bees making such range, traveling miles in case of ne- 
cessity. But it is not probable that it will be done. We 
have no history of any country or age where it has ever 
been overstocked, 

A modern writer says that in northern Arabia the hills 
are stocked with bees — that no sooner are hives 
placed down than they are occupied by bees. 

Mr. Giff"ord, in the Prairie Farmer, says : " I know of 
one neighborJiood East, a thickly-settled place, where 
nearly every farmer keeps from one to fifty swarms of 
bees. It is said that they get as much honey per swarm 
as they used to when there were but few bees kept, and a 
double price for their honey." 

We all know it to be a fact that at times the supply of 
honey seems to be inexhustible. It is also a conceded 
fact that during the night flowers secrete honey; and if it 
is not gathered in the fore part of the next day it is all 
lost by evaporation with the noonday sun. Thus it ap- 
pears that this precious sweet is involuntarily given out 
by the flowers. 

Again, upon this subject, is Mr. Sturtevant, of our 
State, who is an extensive bee-keeper, having over two 
hundred swarms. He says: "A kind of Providence has 
furnished this beautiful supply each day, and if workers 
are not on hand to gather it that day, it is gone. I have 
never known a season where the honey harvest did not 
enable every strong colony in a few days to lay up an 



IN BEE CULTURE. 49 

abundant supply for its own consumption and a generous 
surplus for its owner. 

"To secure these results, however, the hive must be 
supplied with an abundance of workers. The whole se- 
cret lies in strong swarms. The rapidity in which swarms 
increase in weight at certain periods of the season is 
surprising, ranging from three to five or ten, and even 
eighteen pounds per day." He further says that "my 
own bees the last season, 1866, built combs and stored 
honey in their surplus boxes only from twelve to fifteen 
days, the shortest harvest I have ever known. But in 
this short time many of my swarms collected, in addition 
to an ample supply for their own consumption, from 
thirty to thirty-five pounds of surplus honey." And he 
says that the same would have been true if the number 
of stocks were ten times as great. 

Now, I say to you, dear reader, as I have not asked you 
to take my views wholly, but have given you extracts of 
the experience and testimony of others, to stimulate you 
against the false reasonings of others, that there is dan- 
ger of overstocking the country. You nor I, nor our chil- 
dren's children will ever see that day. Then be encour- 
aged, and embark in this pleasing and profitable enter- 
prise. And I would say to all, let us persevere in our 
efforts for the improvement and extension of bee-culture, 
by interesting and instructing the rising generation 
therein, for there is yet a vast field of observation and 
experiment to engage their attention. 

CULTIVATION OF HONEY CROPS. 

As I partly promised, I would say a few words on the 
cultivation of honey crops. Some, and many writers, 
recommend the cultivation of honey crops, or such crops 
as will furnish feed or pasturage for bees. But I think 
that this is not wholly necessary, beyond a regular line 
of crops for grain and seed. White clover stands first as 
the best general crop for the bee. It also makes an ex- 
cellent pasture for stock of all kinds; but where it is 
4 



50 FIRST LESSONS 

eaten off close by sheep it is not so good, they not let- 
ting it have a chance to head and blossom. Cattle pick 
or choose around in spots, and do not eat as close, Thus 
a dairy region is much better for bees. Where white 
clover is abundant there are never bees enough to collect 
one-fourth of the honey which it affords. 

Again : we all know the value of buckwheat as a field 
crop. We know the worth of an acre or two for bread ; 
and yet this is one of the best honey crops. We might 
lengthen the season of it longer than it is at present, al- 
though it is in bloom fully as long, if not longer, than 
any other plant or flower, except it might be white 
clover. By putting a field of buckwheat in a week or 
two sooner, and one a week later than the common time 
of sowing, it would more than pay in honey, and the 
chance of a fair crop in either case might be good. 

Speaking of it as a honey crop, Mr. Harbinson says : 
" When the weather is favorable, the bees store honey 
from it very rapidly, faster sometimes than they can 
build combs to receive." He has seen them fill pieces 
of old comb, laid close to the entrance of the hive, with 
honey, and has known stocks to store about fifty pounds 
of honey during the continuance of buckwheat. Then, I 
say, remember your bees at the time of buckwheat 
sowing. 

Again : fruit trees are excellent pasturage for bees, they 
coming in early for the rearing of brood ; and let us not 
argue that it will not pay to raise them for the fruit alone, 
especially apples. Yet we might have our lawns and 
roadsides all lined with cherries, which are also excel- 
lent for bees as well as man. 

In conclusion, let me add, is it not easier to cultivate 
and produce enough bee pasturage, in addition to that 
from natural sources, to supply one hundred hives of 
bees, than it is to provide keeping for one hundred head 
of sheep ? And the profit of the bees will be more than 
double that of the sheep. 



IN BEE CULTURE. 51 



LESSOISr L. 



IS REE KEEPING PROFITABLE? 



I shall, in this chapter, try to scive the reader some facts 
and figures, and probably will give him some history of 
the bee; also, some quotations from Holy Writ. The ob- 
ject of my holding these facts and figures from the reader 
at other places in my work is, I did not wish to encumber 
his mind, or to overload it with words ; for I am aware 
that a great burden of words is not as easy to load up or 
to treasure up in the mind, and to carry, that is, to retain 
them, as if they were more condensed. Even if it re- 
quires some thought to unravel them, we will do it with 
more ease, and be benefited thereby. 

HISTORY. 

The honej'-bee has existed since the dawn of creation, 
and, under the protection of an unerring instinct, has out- 
lived those changes and convulsions which have destroyed 
other races, and has extended its range irom the equator 
to the frozen regions. Here is an exception to the gen- 
eral law of the animal kingdom. As a general thing, each 
region has its animals. For instance, the seal and the 
otter, if transferred to the equator, would perish. The 
same with the crocodile, if among the icebergs. 

But bees approach nearer to the human. They flourish 
in all localities, and in all climates. Wherever human 
foot is able to tread, bees are his companions. By this 
does it not argue that they are in some way, more than is 
generally attributed to them, essential to man, or to the 
existence of vegetation ? 

They are wholly vegetarians, always seeking their food 
from the flowers. Theirdiet is unchanged. Climate does 
not have any efi"ect on it. But take the man from the 



52 FIRST LESSONS 

tropics, eating his oranges, transplant him to Lapland, 
and he will relish a quart of seal oil. Then is man not 
more unstable than they ? We say, then, man, compara- 
tively a creature of yesterday, should be guided by reason 
and sound judgment. He is put here as lord over all, and 
reason and revelation teach us that all were created for 
some wise purpose. The sweets of nature were undoubt- 
edly created or produced for man ; and the honey-bee was 
given to man for his service to collect those sweets. For, 
in the earliest history of our race, the promise was that 
man should inhabit a land '■ flowing with milk and honey." 
This promise was made in Exodus iii : 8. They did actu- 
ally enjoy such a land " flowing with milk and honey." 
See Deut. xxvi : 9. 

The Prophet Jeremiah says: "For he hath sworn to 
give them a land flowing with milk and honey as it is this 
day." Then, if the old prophet's testimony is good, they 
were at that day enjoying, to the fullest extent, the prom- 
ise. The land of Palestine is undoubtedly a land of bees. 
All modern travelers agree to that fact, and say that bees 
are abundant, even in the remotest parts of the wilder- 
ness, where they deposit their honey in clefts of rocks 
and hollow trees. 

But to return to my subject. I ask pardon for wander- 
ing, but, as I am not a bee, you must not expect me to 
take a bee-line in my remarks. 

Now, is bee keeping profitable? The more I look at 
this question the more simple it appears. But, neverthe- 
less, some will not believe a simple or a plain truth. I 
say that, with proper attention, bee keeping is very proflt- 
able ; and if there is an occupation under the shining sun 
worthy man's attontion, it is this. Do you believe it^ 
But I shall not ask you to build up your imagination for 
a fortune in a few years, if you but recklessly engage in 
this enterprise. No, sir, this all would be folly. I shall 
give you a few tlioughts, facts, and figures, what others 
have done, and then let j'ou draw your own conclusions; 
Bees are unlike any other live stock. They are self- 



IN BEE CULTURE. 53 

supporting and self-sustaining, and with little extra care 
will store a large surplus for the wants of man. How 
much easier it is to give bees the requisite care and at- 
tention than it is to attend to the expensive rearing of 
animals, which need almost constant care during certain; 
seasons of the year ; barns, sheds, pens, etc, to be con- 
structed; food to be supplied; j^et no good farmer thinks 
of complaining of all this. 

Contrast the keeping of animals with that of be%s, and 
it is easy to draw the conclusion where the profit lies. 
We will now suppose the first cost of a swarm of bees to 
be equal to that of a good sheep, which is not far out of 
the way. The hive may opposite the shed or stable for 
the sheep. The sheep, we will say, shears five pounds of 
wool; at fifty cents a pound, makes $2.50; one lamb, at 
one year old, worth $5.00; total $7.50. Deduct keeping, 
washing, and shearing, about as follows: 12 montlis' 
keeping, at 25 cents per month — let the other go — makes 
$3.00; leaving only $4.50 for the risk, interest, and all the 
care and trouble for one vear. 

Now, the bees will, if the season is favorable — and 1hi& 
you must allow me, for I have allowed it with the sheep 
— will store at least fifty pounds of honey ; at 25 cents per 
pound, makes $12.,50. Allow them to cast one swarm 
(very often two or three), worth at least $5.00 — which is 
only about one-half of their actual worth — total, $17.00, 
net j)rofit. Deducting the sheep's profit, leaves the nice, 
clear gain over that of the sheep of $13.00. But be it re- 
membered, that I have figured below what actual ex- 
perience will prove for the bees 

Mr. E. Townly, of Cincinnati, Ohio, says that '"'on the 
25th day of April, 1858, I purchased ten hives of bees in 
the old-fashioned hives, for $50. They were so full that I 
had to divide them before I moved them. I divided them 
and made twenty hives, and in thirteen days afterward I 
divided ten of them again, making me thirty hives; and 
I sold from them $547 worth of honey. The increase of 



54 FIRST LESSONS 

my bees is worth $500 more, making me $1,047, in one 
year, for an outlay of iil'ty dollars." 

I will now give you another, from the Bidwell brothers, 
of Minnesota. They had, in 1S64, fifty-nine stocks of bees, 
and in two seasons increased them to one hundred and 
ninety-six stocks; and he says that each stock averaged 
forty-two and one-fourth pounds of honej^ to the stock. He 
does not say whether for one year or for the two, but we 
will call it for the two years. Now let us figure on it and 
find the profit. Fifty-nine stocks, at $5 each, make $205, 
as capital. Now 196 stocks are worth $980; then 50 old 
stocks, making 42:|- pounds apiece of surplus honey, is 
2,507 pounds, at 20 cents, making $701.40; total for bees 
and honey, $1,681.40. Deducting $295, first cost, leaves 
him the nice sum of $1,386.40, for his net profits. 

Pie further says that the past season, of two hundred 
and four old stocks, he received on an average a little 
over seventy pounds of surplus honey per stock, making 
about fifteen dollars' worth of honey per stock. 

Mr. W. P. Thew, of Caledonia, Ohio, said that his bees, 
one swarm, stored in a movable-comb bee hive, in one 
season, ninety-six pounds of surplus honey, which is worth 
twenty-four dollars. Is not that good profit, to say noth- 
ing of the swarm, which would be about ten dollars more, 
making over three hundred per cent, per annum ? 

I find in the Ohio Cultivator an account from Mr. D. D. 
Kinney, which is about thus : 

Five old stoclis, woi'th eight dollars onvh $40 00 

Eleven hives for swarms, sixteen dollars, time and labor six 

dollars 22 00 

Total $62 00 

Eleven swarms, and five old stocks, making sixteen stocks . .$\'2S 00 
Amount of honey sold and consumed 37 00 

Total $165 1)0 

Deduct first cost 62 GO 

Trofit $103 00 



IN BEE CULTURE. 



55 



I have, now given you a few of the many statements 
and accounts. I will now briefly give you a few figures 
in such a shape as I trust will be satisfactory to each and 
all. I will make my calculations low. I have given you 
statements above where profits were over three hundred 
per cent, but with this calculation will only put at thirty- 
three per cent, of increase, and thirty pounds of honey to 
each stock. 

We will suppose that we have ten stocks of bees to 
commence with, worth $100 — 

SWARMS. • TOTAL. HONEY. 

First year we get 3 making 13 and 300 fes. 

Second " 4 '• 17 >' 390 '' 

Tliiid " 6 " 23 " 510 " 

Fourth " 7 '• 30 " 690 " 

Fifth •' 10 " 40 " 900 '• 

Sixth " 13 " 53 " 1200 " 

Seventh " 18 " 71 '' 1590 " 

Eighth " 23 " 94 " 2130 " 

Ninth " 34 " 125 " 2S20 '• 

Tenth " 41 " 166 '^ 4358 " 

Total 14.880 lbs. 

Thus we have 1G6 stocks, at $10 each $1,6G0 00 

Fourteen thousand eight hundred and eighty pounds of 

honey, 20 cents per pound • • ■ 2,976 00 

Total proceeds $4,636 00 

Deduct first cost 100 00 

One hundred and fifty-six new hives, $4 each 624 00 

Total expenses $724 00 

This leaves as a net profit the snug sum of three thou- 
sand nine hundred and twelve dollars, enough to buy a 
nice farm. Now, the saying is that figures will not lie. 
Here we have them. Is not the calculation low enough? 
Some writers count on doubling every year. 

I now have a request to make of the reader; that is for 
him to make the calculation of ten swarms of bees for 
ten years, doubling each year, or to allow each old stock 



56 FIRST LESSONS 

to cast one swarm, and thirty pounds of honey to eacb 
old stock for each year, and see where it runs to. Truly, 
among all the creatures which our bountiful God hath 
made for the use and service of man, in respect of great 
profit with small cost, it is the honey bee. Why will not 
men learn that it is just about as easy and cheap to raise 
honey as not to raise it, and far cheaper than to buy it ? 

Says Dr. Eddy : "The profits resulting from a judicious 
and proper system of bee culture may be safely estimated 
at from one hundred to five hundred per cent, per annum, 
I have," says he, "three swarms, which have paid me in 
honey and increase of stock, upM^ards of one hundred 
dollars in two years. The average of my entire stock for 
three 3'ears has been three hundred and twenty-seven 
per cent, per annum." 

Now, in conclusion on this point, although I could 
lengthen these facts, figures, and testimony much longer 
— yet I think enough has been said, that the reader may, 
with practical care and consideration, contemplate bee 
keeping with success. 

A little practical knowlede with regard to the nature 
of bees will enable one to obtain perfect control over 
them ; and will also open his eyes to the fact that, with 
properly constructed, movable-comb hives, success in 
bee keeping is not left to the luck of chance, but is de- 
pendent upon the observance of simple rules and regula- 
tions. If these are all observed, the bee keeper need not 
be afraid but what he will have remunerative success. I 
do not wish to hold out inducements for anj'^ one to be 
disappointed, but I would encourage all suitable persons 
to try their skill at bee management. 



IN BEE CULTURE. 



LESsoisr m:. 



57 



A SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR. 



I shall, instead of giving yon a separate management 
for eacii month in the year, divide the year into four sea- 
sons, allowing three months for each season, March, 
April, and May comprising the spring, or preparatory 
season. 

SPRING. 

As this season approaches, it seems to endow all nature 
with new life or zeal ; hence it is called spring. Bees are 
not slow to discover this, and i ow will have an earnest 
desire to come out on fine days. The hives should now 
be brougiit from their winter quarters and set on the 
stands on which j'ou intend them to remain nluring the 
season. Now know how their supplies are, and only feed 
in case of necessity. If t!'ey have honey, which you 
should know, they do not need feed. You need to use 
much care in feeding; it is liable to induce robbing. It 
sometimes may be necessary to feed, but it is not always 
the surest road to success. Lf you find it ncessarey to 
feed,'I would take the stock or hive to a closed room, and 
there feed it enough to last several days, which they will 
store in the combs, and then return them to the stand, 
keeping a good lookout. In all bee management, it is 
necessary to see your bees often. 

Now, as the season advances, the colonies will steadily 
l)e growing stronger. Remember that the swarming 
season is advancing; have your hives made for the sea- 
son, all in readiness, not having to wait after a swarm 
comes out to make one. Study well the chapters on 
natural and artificial swarming. Be pr \ ared to know 
wliat to do. As some seasons are in advance of others, it 
is well to take this into consideration. 



58 FIRST LESSONS 

SUMMER MANAGEMENT. 

June, July, and August is the fruitful or harvest season 
for the bee keeper. Now he is to reap his harvest; with 
June, if not before, the swarming season comes. If you 
swarm artificially, now is <^he time to do it. Look at les- 
son on " Artificial Swarming," and understand the subject. 
As your surplus boxes are filled, remove them immedi- 
ately, and put empty boxes in their place. Keep your hives 
shaded from the hot sun ; make them as comfortable as pos- 
sible. Look out for after-swarms. In August, if favorable, 
you may look for buckwheat swarms. Try and prevent 
over-swarming. 

FALL MANAGEMLNT. 

September, October, and November. Bee pasturage 
will now begin to iail. Look out for robbing. Now know 
the condition of each hive. Weak ones should be united. 
This is best done with movable combs. It should be done 
in the latter part of the season. Stocks that you think 
will not have honey suflicient to last them through, take 
out frames from strong colonies and give it to weak ones. 
When the apiary has received reasonable attention, little 
more remains to be done than to prepare the stocks for 
winter. Study well the lesson on wintering of bees. 
Decide how and where you are going to winter them. 
If a house to winter in is to be built, prepare to erect it. 

WINTERING OF BEES. 

As I have devoted one chapter to this important ques- 
tion, I hope that you have considered the subject well, 
and are now prepared to act. If your bees are in 
good condition, they are as good as already win- 
tered. The whole secret in wintering, or ot en in keeping 
bees successfully, is in keeping strong stocks. If your 
bees are put away in good condition, and properly 
arranged, it is about all that they require during the 
winter. 

And now, as the evenings will admit of it, study well 
this work. 



IN BEE CULTURE. 



LESSO-T^7 ]sr. 



59 



ON CHOOSING A PURSUIT. 



I shall, in this chapter, try more fully, if possible, to 
illustrate the principles of bee keeping— not expecting 
to go over all the ground that I have been on, but to 
give you a few thoughts in a condensed connection. 

As there are a great many crippled and deformed peo- 
ple, also, many aged men and widows, and many others 
that are in dependent circumstances, who are depending 
on their own exertions for a living, and who can not earn 
a needful support in any other channel of trade or in- 
dustry, to such I would say, turn your attention in this 
direction. 

Also, to all others in choosing a pursuit: Is it not 
well to make choice of a pursuit which is pleasant and 
profitable? In such a one there is double inducement to 
engage. Such a pursuit we emine'ntly find in bee culture. 
In what other pursuit can the farmer find more pleasure 
than in the care of bees ? He is admirably situated to 
combine interest and profit together. So with the fruit- 
grower. He is also benefited in a twofold sense, the 
bees finding a rich harvest on his trees; it also being 
essential to the propagation of fruit that the trees be 
visited by the bees. 

The crippled and deformed also, should keep bees. If 
bees are not adapted to his circumstances, he should 
adapt himself to their conveniences, because they need 
not that manual care as other stock. Yet they need a 
watchful eye, which can not always be given by a man 
of much business ; but with the former, he could give 
them full care. One of our great naturalists, whose re- 



60 FIRST LESSONS 

searches have aided much in this science, was a blind 
man. I give this for your encouragement, to show or 
prove, to 3^ou that impossibilities are diminished where 
there is a will. The man of science in bee culture, finds 
ample time and use for his talents in the study of their 
habits, and to observe the precision with which all their 
work is done. It is exceedingly interesting. But this is 
not all. While their is much pleasure furnished by bees, 
yet there is another side furnished by the picture — which 
is profit. 

To this question, ''Will it pay?" most people look at 
in these days. To such I say, and I think that I shall 
prove, that it is a safe, sure, and good funded institution ; 
pays better dividends than government bonds. I am 
aware that there are a few persons who will not agree 
with my last statement. They have the old stereotyped 
idea, luch, applied to the management of bees ; but at the 
same time are willing to confess that they would like 
to engage in the business, but say, "I don't believe I 
should ever have any luck with bees." 

Nothing, certainly, can be more erroneous than such a 
notion. As I have said elsewhere, we can not expect 
complete success in this occupation, until we become 
somewhat familiar with* the laws by which these insects 
are governed. But somehow or other this all-controlling 
word, profit, does entwine itself around; and, unless it 
can be interwoven into the considerate pursuit, it soon 
ceases to have a charm. It seems to be mone}'" which, 
makes any branch of business have the proper jingle, 
and unless we can have our dollars and cents counted 
out for us at night, we are apt to abandon the pursuit. 
How often has this been the case with those who have 
engaged in the culture of bees without suitable informa- 
tion on the subject. Many will inirchase a swarm of 
bees, and set them on a bench in one corner of the gar- 
den, and then turn them over to that mysterious power 
called luck, and expect him to take full charge and con- 
trol over them. In nine out of ten of such cases, in a 



IN BEE CULTURE. 61 

year or two they will abandon bee culture, saying that 
they "have no luck with bees." 

In the lirst place, we must have suitable hives. They 
must be proportionate in size ; not too large or too 
small ; properly constructed, of good material, in a proper 
shape. This undoubtedly embodies a movable-comb 
frame; for there is not the least possible doubt in my 
mind, that whoever realizes the greatest possible benefit 
must use or adopt them in some form. The principle in- 
volved in them can hardly be dispensed with. 

What success or luck would a farmer have, if he fed 
hay or grain only when he had leisure? Yet it is pre- 
cisely the course pursued by many who attempt to keep 
bees. Here is where all the fault is. Some will sa}^ that 
three out of five who undertake to keep bees fail. This 
is the point; and where they get shipwrecked is neglect. 
I might add and enlarge on this point, but it seems use- 
less. 

I have shown you elsewhere, the profit of bee keeping 
(read Lesson L); and in conclusion, I will say, that all 
of my experience, as well as that of many other men who 
have had much experience and observation, is, that with 
proper care and attention, every farmer and bee keeper 
may not only keep his table supplied wirh one of the 
greatest delicacies, but also realize handsome returns of 
a production of ready sale everywhere, and always com- 
manding a good price, with less expense and labor than 
an equal amount can be realized from any other farm 
pursuit. 

Now, reader, I ask you to calmly consider over this 
subject in your own mind. Is the doctrine sound? If so, 
then take hold of it. May not you be one of the fortu- 
nate ones? If there should be some other individual 
already engaged in the business, do not be afraid ; there 
is room enough for you. Your bees will have as good 
chance as his. You know bees are privileged characters, 
roam where they please. There is enough for all. I have 



62 FIRST LESSONS 

to confess that this subject seems of so much importance 
that I hardly know how to close. I wish you eminent 

success. 



LESSOIST O. 



USEFUL HINTS. 



It shall be my object in this lesson to use short ex- 
tracts, or brief subjects, such as shall contain useful 
knowledge, facts that every bee keeper ought to know; 
and, if I chance to say someting that has b^en gone over 
on other points, bear in mind that I wish to fix the facts 
in your minds. A good story or a fixed fact will bear 
telling twice. 

HOW TO PREVENT OVER-SWARMING IN A MOVABLE- COMB HIVE. 

Open your hives once every two weeks, and cut out 
all the queen cells. By following this, you will never 
have a swarm unless j'ou want it. Should you be using- 
the common box hive, there is no way to prevent them 
from swarming, and they may continue swarming until 
they exhaust the old colony, and all perish in the end. 
Now for the remedy. 

As soon as they have commenced to over-swarm, and 
have clustered, hunt out the queen and destroy her, and 
return the bees to the hive they came from, and follow 
up MS long as they swarm. Or, perhaps a better plan 
would be, when the bees have clustered, invert or turn 
the bottom side of the hive up, blow in a little smoke ; 
that will drive the bees up into the combs; now hunt 
out the royal cells, destroy them, and return the queen 
and bees to the hive. 

The more prolific the queen the more young bees you 
have, and the more surplus honey will be stored. A 



IN BEE CULTURE. 63 

drone-laying queen should be taken away, and one pro- 
ducing workers put in her stead. 

All stocks should be kept strong in order to be suc- 
cessful. 

Beginners should be very cautious about increasing 
their stock rapidly, until they thoroughly understand the 
business. 

It is recommended to give bees wheat or rye flour in 
early spring, before they can gather pollen. This pro- 
motes early breeding. Set it in the sun near your bees, 
out of the wind if possible. It can be put in old pans 
or boxes. If you make a few days' diflference in swarms 
coming out, it will be of great importance. 

It is not necessary, that because you are fond of whisky, 
to sprinkle the inside of the hive with it, or use any other 
patent charm or drops ; but all you want is a good clean 
hive. It is well enough to wash it out with salt and 
water to make it cool. 



LESSOisr p. 



THE EGYPTIAN BEE. 

This species of the honey bee is not sufficiently enough 
known to warrant a recommendation. 

The American Bee Journal says: Through the agency 
of the Society of Acclimatization, at Berlin, Prussia, the 
variety of the honey bee prevalent in Egypt has been 
imported and introduced into Germany. M. Vogel, of 
Custrin, in whose charge the imported colony was placed 
by the society, has been successful in multiplying stock 
and preserving its purity, and several young queens 
have already been sent to England. And it is stated 
that arrangements have been made to bring this variety 
to this country. 



64 FIRST LESSONS 

From another source I learned that importations had 
been made last year, but they have not been sufficiently 
tried and tested to -admit of any testimony for or a^'ainst 
them, I know not what tiieir relative value is. 

They are said to be a very beautiful bee, differing in 
size from both the common and Italian bee. In color, also, 
it differs; and it is said to be quite as gentle in temper- 
ament as the Italian, while the breed is more easily kept 
pure. This is about all the information that I have been 
enabled to gather. It may be that this bee will be an 
improvement. Egypt, along the JNile, is a bee country. 

The above is an extract from MitchelVs Guide to Bee 
Keeping^ published in 1868, since which time there have 
been numerous importations, and we have had the pleasure 
of trying the little creatures. The queens have many 
claims to beauty, and are not so large as the Italian, but 
more active in their movements, it being almost impos- 
sible to capture them, but when captured are easily 
held. The bee keeper may have the queen upon a bit of 
comb ; the comb being in one hand, with the other he 
attempts to catch the queen. The first attempt will be 
futile enough, resembling somewhat the Irishman's flea, 
viz: "When you get your hands on her she ain't there," 
and comes the nearest to being in two phices at the 
same moment, of anything I have ever met with. You 
think you have her on the top side of the comb, but a 
second look shows she is on the under side. You make 
a second effort to catch her, and she leaves you and is 
away to the hive before you can corner her. The bees 
inheriting their queen's traits, are much more active than 
others 1 have seen; but when they have little stores of 
honey, they are very quiet and suffer the bee keeper to 
handle them with impunity. But wait till they com- 
mence gathering their stores of sweets, and the Egyptians 
will get their share ; and if there i? honey to gather from 
any source, they will secure it and keep it when got, 
fighting bravely even unto death before they will sutler 
ctliemselves to be robbed. 



IN BEE CULTURE. 66 

It is a well established fact, that the Black and Italian 
bees will fill themselves when disturbed. Not so with 
the Egyptian ; the bee keeper can smoke or put them in 
a wagon and haul them all day over rough roads, then 
give them egress, and the entire swarm rushes out as in 
ordinary swarming, with this difference, that such treat- 
ment makes them savage. And I here make the asser- 
tion that no man could live two minutes in their presence 
unless covered with armor. And we caution the novice 
in bee culture, unless he has his life insured and wishes 
his family to receive the benefit therefrom, to let, at such 
times, the little dears alone. We do not wish to do the 
little fellows any injustice, and will say, we believe the 
Egyptians are more industrious and gather more honey 
than any other bee that we have any knowledge of. And 
could we discover any plan by which we could handle 
them as we can the Italian bees, the Egyptian bee would 
be far more preferable. It is just possible there may 
have been an Egyptian queen imported into the United 
States— nothing being certain. We now leave the little 
rascals to take care of themselves, which they seem fully 
capable of doing ; and should we have occasion to refer 
to them again, we hope to have formed a better opinion 
of them, is our last word in their favor. 



LESSOlSr Q. 



HOW TO CHARM OR TAME BEES, 



In this lesson I shall say some and many things which 
will interest the reader, and some which may not be 
quite so interesting, yet I hope that it will all be bene- 
ficial. Keeping bees good natured, I know, affords a 
5 



66 FIRST LESSONS 

pretty fair chance of ridicule. It may seem rather ab- 
surd to teach a bee anything, yet it will not hurt to think 
about it a little. 

Is it unreasonable that a bee cannot be educated? 
Can not it be acted on in some manner? Can not they 
be subjected to the control and will of the bee master ? 
Is there no analogy between them and other animals ? 
The horse and the ox have been educated to the place 
that they now occupy. A bird can be brought from the 
wild forest and tamed. Most all animals can be petted. 
The same creatures may be made vicious or tame. Are 
bees entirely different? Are they endowed with a dis- 
tinct instinct? We will have to admit, for experience 
proves that they may be made ten times more irritable 
than they naturally are. Nature has armed them with 
means to defend their stores, and instinct has taught 
them to combat, when sufficient cause. This is right. It 
could not be better. If they had no means to repel their 
enemies, they would be overrun with lazy depredators. 
Yes, and I would not except man, who would prey upon 
the fruits of their industry, leaving them to freeze and 
starve. Had it not been arranged by an All-wise Cre- 
ator, this industrious insect would probably have long 
been extinct. Reason should teach us that they should 
be carefully handled, avoiding all jostling or pressure. 
All quick motions, such as running, striking, attempting 
to disperse those surrounding your person, should care- 
fully be avoided. In our movements among them we 
should be slow, cautious, humble and respectful, and 
manifest a becoming deportment. Never manifest fear 
while operating with them. This should be observed in 
all cases. This should be remembered: Whatever is 
attempted, let no cowardice be witnessed by the bees. 
They hate a coward. You may imagine that their inten- 
tion is to sting you when they approach in a threatening 
attitude, buzzing very provokingly for several minutes 
in close proximity to your ears and face, apparently to 
ascertain your intentions — then if you are afraid, and 



IN BEE CULTURE. 67 

begin to strike, you are sure to be attacked, and will 
likely get the worst of the bargain ; but if you remain 
still, with your head down, a few moments, they will 
leave. 

In all of your proceedings with bees, be not panic- 
stricken, and take to your heels and run. If you once 
do so you will have occasion to repent of it. If you ex- 
pect to make a business of handling bees, I say, always 
stand your ground. If you haven't the nerve, then, as 
an alternative, use the protector. 

THE GREAT SECRET. 

Before a swarm leaves the hive, the bees fill their 
sacks with honey for the journey, and to aid them in 
starting in their new homes. The secret is, when you 
wish to handle them, get them to fill themselves in the 
same manner. We know how harmless a fresh swarm of 
bees are. While they are thus filled they are like a man 
soon after dinner, uncommonly good-natured ; he feels 
like being quiet; he does not show any rough points of 
his character. Now, all that is to be done is to get your 
bees to fill themselves. 

HOW TO DO IT. 

When we wish to handle or change our bees, rap gen- 
tly on the side of the hives ; this will charm them ; then 
give them time to fill themselves. If there should be 
some on the outside of the hive give them a gentle 
sprinkling with sweetened water, or diluted honey. If 
they were docile and tractable before, they are doubly 
so now. You may shake them down, hunt out their 
queen, or perform any operation with them you wish, 
and they will not sting. A honey bee filled with liquid 
sweets will not sting unless pressed. 

DRY ROTTEN WOOD SMOKE IS A GOOD AGENT. 

The efiect of smoke on bees is wonderful. With it we 
can subdue their combative propensities, and render 



on FIRST LESSONS 

them harmless. We can turn their anger to submission. 
And when once thus overpowered they seem to lose all 
knowledge of their strength, and become as harmless as 
flies. By rapping on the hive, and allowing them to fill 
themselves, and sprinkling them with honey-sweetened 
water, and in case it is necessarv,use smoke, any bees can 
be handled without fear. This is the sum and substance 
of the art of taming bees. This is the explanation of all 
the charms, secrets, and receipts for taming bees, and is 
as good to you, reader, as if some unprincipled vender 
had humbugged you out of a five dollar bill. 

A SMOKER DESCRIBED. 

Take a clean cotton rag and roll it up. The roll should 
be one inch or more thick. When you wish to use it, 
light one end of the roll, and you can blow the smoke 
into the hive. 



LESSOISr E. 



TRANSFORMATION-CONVERSION OF A WORKER LARVA 
INTO A QUEEN. 



This important discovery, of changing the larva of a 
worker into a royal one, is generally attributed to Sci- 
rach. He accidentally discovered the fact in the follow- 
ing manner: Having used smoke very freely in some of 
his operations with his bees, they were much annoyed at 
it, and considerable numbers of them left the hive, among 
them the queen. He searched for her diligently, but in 
vain. Next morning he discovered a small cluster of 
bees on the prop of the hive, whose queen had fled. Ex- 
amining them, he found the queen. Placing her at the 
entrance of the hive, she was at once recognized and 
treated as a queen. " But," says he, " on examining the 



IN BEE CULTURE. 69 

combs, t found that the bees remaining had already- 
planned, and almost completed, three royal cells." 

He then carried away two of the cells, to ascertain 
whether the bees would continue their operations. He 
beheld, the next morning, with the utmost surprise, that 
they had removed all the food around the third worm 
left behind, on purpose to prevent its conversion to a 
queen. 

Huber also gives us a detail of some of his interesting 
experiments, the substance of which only I can have 
space to present to my readers. 

He deprived a hive of its queen, and put into it some 
pieces of brood comb containing worker eggs. The 
same day several cells were enlarged by the bees, and 
converted into royal cells, and the larva supplied with 
a profusion of jelly. He then carefully removed these 
worms from the royal cells and substituted for them 
as many common worms from worker cells. The bees did 
not seem aware of the change. They watched over them, 
and continued enlarging the cells, and, at the usual time, 
sealed them over. At the proper time the queens were 
hatched. He says they were of the usual size, and well 
formed in every particular. 

THEIR MODE OF PROCEDURE. 

When they are accidentally deprived of a queen, they 
fix upon a worm not more than three days old ; then cut 
away and demolish the three adjoining cells, and raise 
around it a regular cylindrical enclosure, and at the end 
of three days they so cut away as to change the direction 
of the cell from a horizontal to a perpendicular position, 
working downward until it assumes something the ap- 
pearance of an inverted cone, or acorn, about an inch 
long. In due time it is sealed over, and the larva under- 
goes a transformation into a royal nymph. 

But in regard to drones the case is altogether different, 
as there is not that similarity existing between them and 
the worker as there is between the worker and the queen. 



70 FIRST LESSONS 

The primary object of the drone is to pair with the queen. 
He is the gentleman bee ; his whole form, size, and 
organs are different from the worker bee, and it has been 
ascertained by dissection that the workers are imperfect 
females. This was proven by M. Jurine, a Frenchman. 

And now, in conclusion on this subject, I kindly ask 
you to pursue this path of science, which is still capable 
of inviting you onward. I have only been picking up a 
few pebbles along the shore, while the whole ocean of 
knowledge lies unexplored. I ask you, is there in the 
catalogue of Nature's sciences one more worthy of our 
attention, or more inviting than this ? Observe this 
insect race — ordained to keep their instinct pure and 
their storehouse sweet. f, 

CLOSING REMARKS. 

Now, kind reader, I must bid you good bye, and close 
this part of my work. But I will say to you, go on, read 
on, read all you can, and where you can. Think of what 
you read ; adapt nothing without first meditating on it. 
This is the only way to keep clear of all humbugs. Re- 
member that the wants of the bee are simple. Attend 
to those wants at the proper time, and in proper manner, 
and you will reap your share of success. 



IN BEE CULTURE. 71 



WHO SHOULD KEEP BEES ? 



I say all. All that possess a rod square of land should 
keep bees ; yes, and if you lack that rod you should or 
can keep them. I know of some who own no land and 
still they keep bees. If you reside in the city full or 
country sparse ; if you are on the mountain top or in the 
vale ; if you are a mechanic or a farmer ; if you are a law- 
yer or a preacher; if you are rich or walk in poverty's 
vale, you can afford to keep bees. The farmer is very 
suitably located to keep bees, having a sufficient range 
in his pastures, orchards and all other flowering plants 
and trees. He will find more profit with the least labor 
bestowed than in any other branch or department of his 
farm. The mechanic can, also, with a little time and la- 
bor, supply his table from his own storehouse. If he 
works in wood so much the better, he can make his own 
hives and also he may, perchance, get a job to make his 
neighbor's. The merchant or professional man, for they 
too, will find bee-keeping a healthy and pleasant out- 
door pastime. There is this one great advantage about 
bee-keeping — it is no difference whether you own a foot 
of land or not — you have a free pasturage for your bees. 

Mr. Kilpatrick, in the Ohio Agricultural Report^ says 
many persons who are unfit for any hard labor will make 
good bee keepers, such as the aged, lame or deformed of 
both sexes, who can also obtain from this pursuit a good^ 
independent living and to all such we say keep bees with 
care, they need no feed, they increase rapidly, and their 
produce brings a good price. 



72 FIRST LESSONS 



BEEEDING. 



Breeding depends upon the yield of honey, strength of 
colony and the season of the year. There may be other 
circumstances that have an intluence, but these are the 
main ones. Reason teaches that a half-starved swarm, 
without suflScient strength, will not breed as fast, or send 
off as many and healthy swarms, as a hive that has a 
good winter's supply. 

TIME OF BREEDING. 

A strong swarm will breed the year round, but the 
warm season is the most prosperous, while a very weak 
stock does not commence to breed until warm weather. 
It is necessary that the temperature of the hive should 
arrive at a certain degree of heat before breeding or 
hatching will commence, and, of course, this is arrived at 
sooner with a large swarm than a small one, the animal 
heat being so much the greater in a crowded hive than in 
one that is nearly empty or desolate. 

HOW WEAK STOCKS COMMENCE. 

The queen first deposits a few eggs in the center of a 
cluster of bees of a small family in the warmest place in 
the hive wherever it may be. She will occupy a few 
cells on each side of the comb and as these eggs hatch 
out she will gradually enlarge as the stock increases and 
warm weather advances. 

THE CELLS. 

The cells in which the workers are reared are much the 
smallest in size. A drone cell is nearly one-third larger, 
and a queen cell still larger, and requires much material 
for its construction, and is always built vertical, or per- 
pendicular, generally on the edge of the comb, somewhat 



IN BEE CULTURE. ^S 

resembling a pea-nut. It will be understood that the 
cells are all made by the workers; all that the queen has 
to do is to deposit her eggs therein. 

TIME FROM THE EGG TO THE PERFECT BEE. 

After the egg has been laid in the cell, in about three 
days you can see a small white worm coiled in the bot- 
tom of the cell inclosed in a milky substance, which, no 
doubt, is its food. In about six more days it is sealed 
over. In this condition it remains about twelve days, 
when it bites off the cover and 'comes out a perfect bee. 
The period, owing to the occasion, varies somewhat, rang- 
ing from twenty to twenty-five days. The temperature 
of the hive has much to do with the time. A high tem- 
perature facilitates it while a low one retards it. 

SEASON OF BREEDING. 

I have said that strong swarms breed nearly the year 
round, but there are seasons of the year when it seems 
most genial. In spring and first of summer, nearly all of 
the combs that are convenient for breeding that are empty, 
and food abundant, they rear brood more extensively 
than at any other period. Towards fall they fill or store 
the cells full of honey. Then there is less room for 
brood. Generally about the first of May the hive be- 
comes crowded with bees, and as the resources for gath- 
ering honey increase, the workers will at once construct 
one or more queen cells, and take an egg out of a worker 
cell and deposit it in the queen cell, feeding it with a 
peculiar kind of food, said to be royal jellj^ at the same 
time guarding and building the queen cell. In a few 
days it will be capped over, and still their work is not 
done, for in every hive there is an old queen who will 
not tolerate a rival queen for a single moment, and were 
it not that the workers stood guard over the queen cells, 
both night and day, the old queen would at once rush 
upon them, tear a hole in each cell and at once dispatch 
them with her sting. I have opened a hive and in turning 



74 FIRST LESSONS 

the frame I discovered a queen cell nearly capped over. 
Upon the same comb I noticed the old queen. After 
watching her for some time, she approached very cau- 
tiously the queen cell, and when within about two inches 
of it one single worker ran at her as if she was large 
enough to destroy her at once. The queen turned short 
around and ran the other way, keeping out of the way of 
the worker, and, for more than one hour I watched their 
maneuvering, and at no time could the queen get nearer 
than two inches oi the queen cell. 



» » 



QUEEK BEEEDIISra 



The Italian bees having acquired a great reputation for 
their many good qualities, all are asking how we shall pro- 
ceed to raise the queens,and how keep them pure. There are 
many ways of doing one and the same thing, and queen 
breeding comes under that head. We have tried several 
different ways. By following the plans we have laid 
down in this work, you can not go astray, as we have 
aired the subject in every way conceivable to us at pres- 
ent. 

The first requisite in queen breeding is the preparing of 
each colony containing a pure Italian queen that you 
wish to breed from. The hive must contain a large 
colony of bees. The comb must be examined carefully, 
to be sure there is drone comb in the center of the hive. 
That being done, it will be quite easy enough to get out 
Italian drones one or two months before the black drones 
make their appearance. 

To insure this, it would be advisable to stimulate the 
colony early in the season, by giving them water with 
just enough sugar in it to entice the bees to partake of it. 
Feed them a little every day, and by so doing you will 
have early drones. 



IN BEE CULTURE. 75 

Having placed you in the situation for raising pure 
Italian queens, we will now proceed, first, by saying 
queens raised as above directed are just as pure as those 
raised in sunny Italy. Suppose you want to raise just 
enough to Italianize your own colonies. In such a case, 
as early in the season as you find drones capped over in 
the Italian colonies, then is the time for action. Lose not 
one moment. If you have one colony, or more, follow 
the same plan. 

Your next move is to take every comb containing eggs 
and larvae out of the center of the hive in which the 
Italian queen is located. Shake or brush off" the bees, be- 
ing very careful you do not hurt the queen. Then take 
the frames to a hive containing a black queen. Open the 
hive and destroy the black queen. Having done so, take 
out all the comb containing eggs or larvae; then set in 
the combs from the Italian colony. 

Take the comb from the black colony, containing the 
black brood, and put it in the Italian colony. You see, 
when done, that you have only exchanged the combs. 

Perhaps you will say, dear reader. Why all this trouble ? 
Why not take out the Italian queen and introduce her to 
another colony ? That would be the speedy way, but 
would it answer the same purpose ? I think not. You 
ask, Why, I have known many queen breeders that have 
made the change in that way. I have one in my mind's 
eye at this moment. He owned an Italian queen that 
money could not buy, which once belonged to me; but 
unfortunately I sold her before I knew her actual worth. 
Being a choice queen, I offered fifty dollars to get 
her back, and would have given one hundred ; but money 
could not tempt the party to sell her — the owner wanting 
her to breed from. 

As soon as the queen-breeding season came, he took 
her from her hive, and introduced her, in the usual way, 
to another colony. The consequence was, the bees not 
liking the change, dispatched their beautiful Italian 



76 FIRST LESSONS 

queen. I have heard and known of hundreds of fine 
queens being lost in the same way. 

While upon this point, I must say, that if persons will 
persist in following their own methods, and lose fine 
queens thereby, they have none but themselves to thank. 
I can only tell you how to accomplish the change with- 
out any danger of losing your queens. By following the 
plan laid down, the Italian queen is always in the same 
hive, and you will always know where to find her. 

I would like you to bear in mind that every sixth day 
you may remove the brood comb from the Italian queen, 
and exchange it for the black bee's comb, as first described 
in this chapter. 

Possibly I may repeat some things treated of in a former 
chapter; but considering the subject of much importance, 
I hope it may not try your patience were I to repeat on 
every other page some of our advice to bee keepers. I 
wish this work to be a help to bee keepers that are yet 
unlearned in the art, as, also, the novice in bee culture, 
who is so fond of trying experiments to discover some- 
thing new. There are many who will try everything and 
anything to accomplish in a new way what is better done 
in the old way. 

But to the subject. The frames have been exchanged, 
and the bees in the queenless colony are busy building 
queen cells. On the eighth day after destroying the 
black queen, open the hive, and see how many queen 
cells the bees have built, and count all that you can cut 
out without injury, remembering that often there are two 
or more cells built so close together that they can not be 
separated without injury. Count the cells and close the 
hives. Open as many colonies containing black queens 
as you have queen cells, at the same time destroj'ing the 
black queens. Then leave them until the following day, 
when they will have discovered the loss of their queen, 
and will accept the queen cells readily. 

Again I would caution you, having no doubt you will 
want to be expeditious with the matter and destroy 



IN BEE CULTURE. 77 

the queens at once and introduce the queen cells imme- 
diately — if you do so, it is possible that the bees will des- 
troy the queen cells before they are aware of the loss of 
their queen. At all events, you will be the more certain 
to succeed by following the plans laid down. 

On the following day after destroying the black queens, 
open the Italian colonies, and with a thin-bladed sharp 
knife cut out each queen cell. Commence cutting at 
least one half inch from the base of the cell, running the 
knife clear through the comb; then cut clear around 
coming at no time nearer to the queen cell than half an 
inch. Care must be taken not to shake or jar the cell ; in 
truth, the cell should remain untouched. Handle with 
the utmost care; cut them all out but one, leaving that 
in the hive to Italianize the colony. Care should be 
taken that the young queen does not become chilled in 
the cell before she is put in her new quarters. 

Having cut all the queen cells from one hive, now open 
one queenless colony after another, until you have intro- 
duced into each a queen cell. To do this with safety, take 
out from the center of the hive a comb containing brood; 
cut a hole in the combat the upper edge of the brood, large 
enough to insert the queen cell. It should occupy the 
same position in the new as the old hive. When adjusted, 
fasten with a bit of wax, or anything that will keep it to 
its place. In a few days the apiarian will have the satis- 
faction of seeing a beautiful Italian queen in the hive. 

Following close upon that. Her Majesty, the Queen, 
leaves the hive for her bridal tour. She meets with the 
pure Italian drone, and the result is the bee keeper there- 
by gets just as pure a queen as could be got in Italy. 

Having shown you how to Italianize your own colonies, 
I will now proceed to tell you how to raise queens by the 
quantity, or so as to supply the rapidly-increasing de- 
mands for pure queens. Follow the plans just laid down, 
and, in particular, the advice as to having your drones 
out very early — long before the black drones make their 
appearance. By that move, you have it all your own 



78 FIRST LESSONS 

way for a month or two. In making your preparations 
for raising queens by the quantity, it will necessitate 
your making a number of nucleus boxes. They should be 
made large enough to hold three or four full-sized frames, 
the same as those in your colonies. The nucleus boxes 
should have a movable top, with an aperture at the bot- 
tom, through which the bees can pass out of the boxes ; 
it now being in readiness, take one frame of comb, con- 
taining brood, bees and honey, from as many hives as the 
nucleus boxes will hold; give each nucleus a queen cell, 
as before stated in this chapter. Make up as many 
nuclei as you have queen cells. Black bees being as good 
as any to raise queens, let the young queens remain in the 
nucleus until they are fertilized and begin to lay. They are 
then ready for market, and may at once be taken out, 
supplying their places with new queen cells. 

In this way the nucleus boxes may be supplied with 
queen cells as fast as the young queens are taken out. 
The combs in the nucleus boxes must be taken out oc- 
casionally, and their places supplied with fresh comb 
from the large hive, this being done to keep up the 
strength of the nucleus. 

In making this exchange, the bees should all be brushed 
clear from both combs before proceeding, and but one 
comb should be taken from the nucleus boxes at the same 
time. By adopting this plan, every nucleus can be kept 
strong, and at thft close of the season you can double 
them up, and make strong colonies of them without any 
loss at all. 

QUEEN BREEDING LATER IN THE SEASON. 

We now come to a period of queen breeding that is not 
quite as pleasant as the one first treated of. The black 
drones are out, and should they come across your beauti- 
ful and well-marked Italian queen, while on her bridal 
trip, her progeny would only be hybrids. This leads us 
to the consideration of the best method of preventing the 
meeting of the Italian queen with the black drone. Be- 



IN BEE CULTURE. (9 

fore this can be accomplished with safety, the bee 
keepeer will be obliged to Italianize every colony of black 
bees within five miles of him, which is not the easiest 
thing in the world to do, as you will find— more especially 
if there are wild bees to be found in the woods about 
you. So no alternative is left our queen breeder but to 
test all the queens before sending them away. Or he 
might ship them to his patrons to be tested, agreeing that 
if they do not prove to be pure, to furnish them with 
others. 

This has led to the sale of many hybrid queens, and 
their progeny are scattered throughout the United States, 
and palmed off as the genuine article, although there 
have, without a doubt, been many sent off by the breeder 
when he was unconscious of their impurity; and the pur- 
chaser, not knowing the pure from any other, finds him- 
self in a "fix." 

Some of our queen breeders assert that the Italian bee 
is only a cross between the Egyptian and black bee. If 
their opinion is well founded, then, indeed, we have noth- 
ing but hybrids in the States, or anywhere else. If this 
be so, we have been importing nothing but hybrids. 

We can only confess that we are not prepared to accept 
such a theory. Our belief is that the Itulian is a pure, 
distinct bee, and is perfectly capable of reproducing 
itself. We might produce evidence to support our belief, 
but do not deem it necessary at this point of the question. 
In laying it on the shelf, to be aired at any future time, 
we simply give it as our unbiased opinion that what gave 
rise to the hybrid theory is this : that all writers who 
have preceded us have asserted that an Italian queen, 
when impregnated by a black drone, her progeny would 
be hybrids, except the drones, and they would be pure. 
We were once of the same mind, but while engaged in 
raising Italian queens, we have seen enough to convince 
us that the drone produced by the hybrid queen is im- 
pure. We say to every queen breeder, don't tolerate for 
a single moment in your apiary a queen that has mated 



80 FIRST LESSONS 

with a black drone. If you do, you will soon have trouble 
on your hands. Keep none but good and pure drones. 
Let us say, in connection with this, that the finest and 
brightest drones we have ever seen were the progeny of 
a queen that had pared with a black drone. The observ- 
ing queen breeder can detect the hybrid drone as readily 
as the hybrid bee. We will not pursue this subject 
further at present. 



QUEEN BREEDIKG 11^ A ISTURSERT. 



We have raised many queens in Dr. Jewell Davis' 
Queen Nursery, and will proceed to tell you how this 
is done successfully : The nursery is made just the size 
of your frame, whether that be big or little, the com- 
partments being movable and of sufficient capacity to 
hold the queen cell and a small bit of honey in the 
comb to supply the queen with nutriment. As soon as 
the queen leaves the cell, the empty queen cells are to be 
removed from the nursery, and each compartment filled 
with new cells. Remove a frame from the center of a 
strong colony, then set the nursery where it will be con- 
tinually surrounded with bees. Should have stated before, 
not to cut out the queen cells before they are at least 
nine days old. By removing earlier, you endanger their 
safety, as the least touch will kill them. As soon as the 
young queens are one or two days old, remove them to 
the nuclei boxes. 

We have now reached a fine point in our lessons, and 
this, no less than the introduction of the virgin queen to 
the nucleus box or colony of bees ; but if the bee keeper 
will follow the plan I shall now set forth, virgin queens 
can be introduced without the least danger of their 
loss. We will illustrate our plan as follows : 

Suppose that we have a nursery full of virgin queens, 
the next step would be to make up as many nuclei as 



IN BEB CULTURE. 81 

we have queens — this must be done as before described, 
by taking from three different hives one frame each, each 
comb containing brood. Set them in the nuclei boxes. 
Let them stand about one hour, then let the young 
queen enter the hive from below, and they will receive 
her kindly. But if your nuclei have been prepared or 
used previously, then give them a good smoking ; exam- 
ine the comb carefully; cut out any queen cells the bees 
have started, shaking the bees off the comb in front of 
the nuclei, then let the young queen go on top of the 
comb before the bees enter, then close up the nuclei, and 
there will be no danger of losing the queen. The object 
in smoking them is this: the bees fill their jackets with 
honey — after so doing they will be harmless. 

We will now direct your attention to another import- 
ant part of queen breeding, that of the fertilizing of 
the queen bee in confinement. It is thought by many 
of our apiarians that queens can not be fertilized in con- 
finement, they believing it to be unnatural to confine 
them. Their view of the case looks feasible to those 
who have never tried the experiment. We, having tried 
various plans with the view of accomplishing their fer- 
tility, (although failing in most of our efforts) we are 
forced, through our own experience, to emphatically 
assert that it can be done successfully. 

And here to explain it in such a way as the novice 
will, at a glance, comprehend our meaning, and succeed; 
Mrs- Ellen S. Tupper, of Iowa, being the first to discover 
that queens could be fertilized in confinement. We do 
not know if Mrs. Tupper has given her view of the mat- 
ter to the public. Since then, many others have tried 
different plans to accomplish the feat — and we mention 
from out the number, Dr. Jewell Davis, Gen. D. L.Adair, 
Wm. R King and N. C. Mitchell. Each of the above 
named have invented a fertilizing cage, hoping to so 
simplify the operation that any one might succeed in 
fertilizing their virgin queens when in confinement. 
We have not the space to describe the different fertiliz- 
6 



82 FIRST LESSONS 

ing cages now in use ; but will try to describe as mi- 
nutely as possible our own. 

We make it about five inches square, and ten inches in 
height. The sides are made of thin boards. Near the top 
you cut or bore a hole one inch in diameter, cover the 
hole with wire cloth; then cut a second hole and let it 
be large enough to introduce either queens or drones — 
cover the bottom of the cage with wire cloth, the top 
being covered with glass, with a board over the glass to 
shut out the light. The cages can be made larger and 
so constructed that four fertilizing cages can be set upon 
the top of the hive. Having the cages ready, we next 
proceed (as soon as the queens are hatched) to cut 
out the brood comb that has been capped over, and 
out of which the young bees may be seen crawling. 
The comb must be cut to fit the insideof the cage, and 
when set in, should be about four inches in height. Two 
such combs are enough to each cage. The comb must 
come in contact with the wire cloth at the bottom of 
the cage, that when the cage is set on the frames of the 
hive, it may be in close proximity to the bees, so that 
the heat arising from the bees may keep the brood warm. 
The comb must contain honey as well as brood. All 
being ready for the young queen, we now put her in 
the cage — the best time being as soon as hatched, or 
it can be done before. The queen cell may be cut 
from the comb and at once be carried to the fertilizing 
cage. Place it between the combs in the fertilizing 
cage, small end down. When she is a day or two old, 
catch four or five drones as they are leaving the hive. 
It is best to have a wire cage to put them in, that they 
may not be hurt or frightened. Let them crawl from out 
the cage into the fertilizer. 

Now let us see what we have in the cage — brood, comb 
and honey. The young bees keep crawling out Indian 
fashion, but as they will show no desire to leave their 
cage before being sixteen or twenty days old, they will 
be perfectly safe to use their own discretion up to that 



IN BEE CULTURE. Od 

time. Next in hand, is, we have one queen and four or 
five drones, which we keep in darkness, not permitting 
one ray of light to penetrate their dungeons. "When the 
queen is five days old, at the hour of one or two, (day) 
we remove the board from off" the glass and let in the 
light; then if the queen is ready for her bridal trip, she 
and the drones make for the top of the cage to the light, 
and will then accomplish the end for which they were 
created. Expose them to the light but thirty minutes, 
then close them as before, keeping them in the dark until 
the next day at the same hour — remove the top, and if 
the queen refuses to leave the comb, you may rest assured 
that she has been fertilized. 

We have found this to be the most simple and cheap- 
est way to fertilize in confinement, and one that the 
novice can understand and succeed in as well as those 
that are ripe in experience. And as this subject is of so 
much importance to bee keepers, we will yet notice one 
more process by which the virgin queen may be fertil- 
ized without the danger of meeting the black drone. 
We now refer to the Kohler process. Have in your api- 
ary one or two stocks in which there is a multitude of 
fine drones ; put them in a dark place, so dark they can 
not get one ray of light; leave them there till five 
o'clock, (evening) of the next day, when all the black 
drones will have returned to their hives ; then open every 
hive containing fertilizing cages, set them around at 
different points, being careful not to remove the cover 
from the glass ; and in that case, there should be a place 
of egress at the bottom of the cage. All now being 
ready, take the large hive from the dark room, put it 
upon its stand, open it, and out rush bees, drones and 
all ; then, quick as possible, open the lower aperture of 
every fertilizing cage and let out the queens and drones. 
This maneuver may be repeated until you have succeeded 
in having all your queens purely fertilized. 

We have now given you a plan which can not fail, and 
one which the novice will readily understand and not 



84 FIRST LESSONS 

fail in any quicker than the experienced. The reader will 
notice that we have continued this subject at great 
length. We have done this because it is our belief that 
it will prove instructive to our readers, and of import- 
ance to bee keepers, it being a subject he will have to 
meet, from the fact that the Italian bee is now bred all 
over the United States. Many are seeking a more 
thorough knowledge, with a view to raising pure Italian 
queens, not only for their own use but for the market. 
We have given our opinion a thorough ventilation on 
this subject, and hoping that we have done some good, 
with your permission, dear reader, we will take a breath- 
ing spell. 



^ ^ 



WHAT ARE WE TO UNDERSTAND BY 
PURE ITALIAN DRONES? 



To arrive at the truth, this question is being discussed 
pretty thoroughly by writers who have preceded us, and 
they, having taken their side of the fence, show up their 
views as follows : That a pure Italian queen mating with 
a black drone is just as good as mating with a pure Italian 
drone, inasmuch as her drone progeny would be just as 
pure as though she had mated with the Italian drone. To 
substantiate this theory, they have elucidated the matter 
thus: That the Italian (virgin) queen that has failed to 
meet the drone in the proper season can, in part, propa- 
gate her species by the depositing of eggs in both work- 
er's and drone's cells, but when nursed and fed by the 
bees will produce drones only. It is also claimed by 
different writers that if a virgin queen can deposit eggs 
that will produce the drone, or male be, then the fertiliz- 
ing of the queen does not affect her drone progeny in the 
least. Their position in this seems well taken, and shown 
up in a feasible light, and with a determination not to be 
ousted from the standpoint they have taken; and to sub- 



IN BEE CULTURE. 85 

stantiate the assertions already made, they hold up to 
your astonished eyes the old fertile queen bee, and by her 
they show that the eggs, while remaining in the ovary, 
are not fertile, but as they pass out through the oviduct 
on their way to the cell are fertilized as they pass the 
mouth of the spermatheca, the queen having sole control 
of every egg, and can fertilize them or not, and that every 
egg that is deposited in the cells of the workers touches 
the male sperm deposited in the spermatheca, but the 
queen, when depositing eggs in the drone cells, closes 
the mouth of the spermatheca, so the eggs can not come 
in contact with the male sperm. In other words, the 
queen can, at will, fertilize every egg or none at all, and 
that it is wholly optional with the queen. We rather like 
the position they have taken and the way it is handled, 
which may be the true solution of the matter, but many 
believe the eggs are fertilized by the queen in the act of 
laying, by the compression of the abdomen, which they 
claim is done when the queen enters the cell of the 
workers for the purpose of laying eggs, but that when 
the queen enters the cell of the drone for the same object, 
the cell being large, there is no compression of the abdo- 
men. Hence, they claim that the compression of the 
abdomen is the sole cause of fertility. We must say that 
we do not look with favor upon such an explanation of the 
subject. We do not think it well considered. It may 
hold good in theory, but not in practice, and it is the 
practice we have to face. 

We will offer but one reason why we can not believe 
the compression theory. Bee keepers will notice that 
when a swarm leaves the parent hive, the old queen goes 
with them, and so soon as the bees have started comb, 
the queen may be seen depositing eggs in the incipient 
cells that are as yet not more than one-eighth or one- 
sixteenth of an inch in depth. Now, if the compression 
theory is correct, then every egg laid in the shallow cells 
would produce drones only, but it is known to every bee 
keeper that they universally come out workers, and that 



bb FIRST LESSONS 

a swarm of bees rarely ever build drone comb the first 
season. We do not think it necessary to follow up the 
compression theory with argument, as we think enough 
has been said to show the fallacy of such a theory that 
can not stand even a moderate sifting. 

Now, having given you the theory of others upon this 
question, we would leave the subject as it is, but some of 
our prominent authors and writers upon apiculture have 
taken a very decided stand, and force us to our feet, and 
we must take our chances against them, as they claim 
that the Italian bee is nothing but a hybrid, a cross be- 
tween the Egyptian and black bee ; and what, we would 
ask, has led them to such a conclusion? Nothing but 
the theory that the fertilization of the queen has no in- 
fluence upon the drone progeny. This theory has led our 
queen breeders astray, and finding something wrong, they 
declare as their belief that the Italian bee is only a cross. 
If so, it only amounts to this : we have been importing' 
hybrids, we have been breeding hyrids, and selling hy- 
brids. This being true, why say anything about the purity 
or impurity of the Italian queens or bees ? If such were 
the facts of the case, it would make but little difference 
whether the bees had but one, two or three beautiful 
bands encircling their abdomen ; they would only be hy- 
brid after all. And just here we leap the fence and thereby 
leave some of our ablest writers, as well as our own 
teaching, on the opposite side, and it now remains to be 
seen and proved by practice, as well as theory, which is 
right. As we can not go with them, we are necessarily 
against them. We once held the same opinions, and 
gave vent to them, but by a series of experiments, we 
were compelled to give up the theory that the fertiliza- 
tion of the queen bee did not affect her drone progeny, 
for we find that, to insure the purity of both queens and 
bees, it is very essential that the drones be pure. 

We will go still further, and say that if there is or 
must be a taint of impurity in either, let it be in the 
queen rather than the drone. Writers and authors that 



IN BEE CULTURE. 87 

have heralded their opinions on this subject, throughout 
the length and breadth of the world, go on to say that 
the fertility of the queen has nothing to do with the 
purity of the drone's progeny. Their assertions remind 
us of the Indian that strayed away from his home, who, 
after searching in vain for his hut till weary, he chanced 
upon a white man at work. The Indian asked "where is 
wigwam?" White man answered "Indian lost." Indian 
replies, " Wigwam lost, Indian here." That little story 
has its moral in the foregoing. 

But to resume the subject, we affirm that the Italian 
bee is a pure and distinct species of the bee, having 
nothing in common with the other species, and that they 
can be kept pure. And the far-seeing and judicious 
breeder will see this and keep them up to the highest 
standard of purity, which can be done ; or more, can im- 
prove them so as to reach any possible standard of bee 
perfection. Question. — " How can this be done ? how 
reach that standard of purity?" Answer. — The first step 
to be taken, must be to secure a queen of known purity 
to breed from. " But," says one, " how shall I know 
when I have a pure queen?" I reply as heretofore, that 
queens that breed bees that are uniform in color and show 
three distinct bands of golden hue encircling their abdo- 
men, you can rest assured the queen that bred them is 
pure, but not by any means, always a sure test. 

We will now give you the only sure and reliable test, 
and one that will never fail, and will say that any queen 
that can duplicate herself every time is a pure queen; in 
other words, all the young queens bred from her eggs 
should be an exact counterpart of the old queen. But the 
queen that breeds some queens of light and some of dark,, 
and yet others of very dark color, is not to be relied upon 
as being pure. 

In this connection, we must remark that the queens 
bred early in the season are of a lighter color than those 
bred later. Again, the comb has something to do with 
the fine coloring of the queens. The queens bred in new 



88 FIRST LESSONS 

comb are always a shade lighter than those bred in the 
old comb. We make mention of this that the novice in 
bee culture may have a guide by which he may test the 
purity of the queens. 

The queen breeder will say, if you apply this standard 
of purit}'' you destroy our market for the sale of Italian 
queens. Not a bit of it; for the queens you are now 
breeding are worth to the bee keeper all they are paying 
you at present; but a queen that will duplicate herself 
every time is worth to any one breeding queens all the 
way from twenty-five to one hundred dollars, and the 
breeders that bring their stock up to this standard can 
sell every queen they raise for twenty-five dollars, and 
that just as readily as they now sell them at five dollars 
each. 

We have said, to keep the stocks pure, the queen must 
be one that can duplicate herself every time, and both 
queens and drones must be bred from a queen of known 
purity. The queen breeders that follow minutely the 
plans laid down will, in the end, see that they have done 
wisely and well, and that their labor has not been in vain. 
Their queens will be even more beautiful than when they 
first began breeding queens. 

At this point we will say it would be well for breeders 
to exchange queens occasionally with breeders that live 
some distance from you, and by doing this you prevent 
many things that are so injurious in raising stock; and 
uow, as we have told you how to breed and keep your 
bees pure, we will proceed to give you the reasons for 
adopting so high a standard of purity. 

In the first pl&ce, the standard heretofore adopted has 
been too low, and has led many to think the pure Italian 
bee exists only in name, and has laid the foundation for 
much quibbling, and resulted in the disappointment of 
many queen purchasers. The queens purchased not meet- 
ing their expectations, they find fault with the queen 
breeder, when, the truth to tell, the breeder is perfectly 
innocent, and unconscious of doing his fellow-man a 



IN BEE CULTURE. 89 

wrong, himself being led astray by following the theory 
laid down by our scientific writers upon apiculture. 

We will now give you our opinion in regard to drones 
raised from the eggs of a virgin queen, and with them 
we will class the drones bred from a fertile worker bee. 
In appearance, they are the same, and to all appearances 
they both seem to be fully able to propagate their species, 
inasmuch as they possess the same functions as other 
drones ; but, to our mind, they are not reliable, and should 
be destroyed at once. I believe that a queen that has 
become impregnated by a drone of this description is but 
little better than a drone-laying queen, and in the end 
will amount to nothing more. Our experience in this 
matter has not been carried so far as we would like in this 
direction; but, from what we have seen of them, we feel 
justified in saying what we have upon the subject. 

We come now to the most important part of the sub- 
ject, and that is : Does the fertilization of the queen 
bee affect in the least the drone progeny ? We affirm that 
it does, and offer as proof that the drones bred by a queen 
that has been impregnated by a black drone are very 
finely marked, and to look upon, they are very beautiful ; 
indeed, so much so, that the bee-keepers would resort to 
every means to have their young queens fertilized by 
them. 

Now let us look at the drones bred b}^ a queen that 
had been fertilized by a pure Italian drone, and what 
have we? — a drone that looks very much like the com- 
mon black drone ; his marking is scarcely perceptible, 
and that is usually under the lower part of the abdomen. 

Now let rae ask, if the fertilization of the queen bee 
has no influence upon her drone progeny, why should 
a hybrid queen produce more beautiful drones than the 
pure bred queens ? Here is an argument that any one 
can satisfy themselves as to its truthfulness. And to 
carry this line of argument still further, and that with- 
out fear of successful contradiction, that the drone does 
more towards keeping the stock pure than the queen, 



/ 



/. 



90 FIRST LESSONS 

were I to-day to choose between which I would 
rather have to commence with, — a pure queen and an 
impure drone, or a pure drone and an impure queen, I 
would always say, give me the pure drone, — then I can 
improve my bees. 

Let us now take a black queen; we pair her with a 
pure Italian drone ; now we have half-bloods ; we raise 
queens from her eggs, and again pair them with pure 
Italian drones. Follow this up for a few generations, and 
what have we ? — a bee that no one can detect from the 
pure stock. And we may follow this up until every 
queen will duplicate herself, and every taint of black 
blood will have disappeared. 

Now let us take a pure Italian queen, one that has 
been fertilized by a pure drone ; raise young queens 
from her eggs. See how beautiful they are ! We cross 
them with th6 black drones. Follow up, acd when you 
have made but few crosses, all traces of the Italian bee 
will have disappeared. Does not this show conclusively 
that it is more essential to always have pure drones? 

Again, upon this subject, we will say, select a drone 
whose mother was a pure Italian queen, except that she 
had been impregnated by a black drone; cross your 
Italian queens with them, and your stock will soon run 
back to the black bee. In making these assertions we 
know whereof we speak ; and every queen breeder can 
soon learn if these assertions be true or false, and the 
sooner they learn the truth of the matter, the better it 
will be for them and all interested in apiculture. 

It is admitted by the most of our learned apiarists that 
the drone dies in the act of fertilizing the queen bee. 
The reason is obvious. His male appendage is trans- 
mitted to the queen, who retains it about twenty-four to 
thirty-six hours — long enough to complete fertilization 
for life. Then, let me ask, is it not reasonable to suppose 
that the fertilization of the queen bee does affect her 
drone progeny? 'Tis our opinion the drone, when in the 
act of fertilizing the queen, transmits to the queen the 



IN BEE CULTURE. 91 

very germ of his existence, that germ becoming a part of 
the queen; and upon that alone depends the purity and 
the very existence of the species. 

Then, may we not in justice claim that all eggs laid by 
a virgin queen or fertile worker are unnatural, and that 
the drones raised from such eggs are worthless and can 
not be depended upon to propagate their speciesTj And, 
again, that any drone that has not been bred from a pure 
Italian queen, should be thrown aside as worthless ; 
and whoever engages in the culture of the Italian 
bee, and wishes to keep them pure, must pursue the 
same course they would to keep their stock pure. 
To improve the breed of your stock, the very best male is 
selected to propagate their good blood ; and till we are 
ready to adopt the same theory in the culture and bree'd- 
ing of both the drone and queen bees, we can not expect 
to breed either in their purity. 

We leave this subject with the hope that we may be 
the means of awakening more interest in the culture of 
the Italian bee in its purity; and the idea of the Italian 
bee being nothing but a hybrid should be discountenanced, 
no matter from what source it comes, and if the apiarist 
will follow the plan laid down by us in this chapter, he 
will soon acknowledge the truth of our assertion that the 
Italian bee does exist in its purity. 

i» ■• • ■»■ 



FERTILE WORKERS. 



The fertile worker bee, so often found in queenless 
colonies, are a great source of annoyance to the bee 
keeper. The fertile worker bee very much resembles the 
common worker bee, and can only be detected by the 
most experienced eye. They have a little of the queen 
look. Her wings do not quite reach the entire length of 
her body. 



'^ FIRST LESSONS 

It is thought by many that the fertile worker at some 
time before emerging from the cell has partaken of the 
food prepared for the queen alone. 

It is our opinion that the fertile workers are brought 
into existence in the following manner, and to illustrate 
it, we will remove a queen from a colony of bees, and 
they will at once commence to build queen cells to sup- 
ply the deficiency. Some colonies will complete every 
queen cell to perfection, while other colonies will only 
bring to completion a portion of the queen cells, and cap 
the others over, while portions of it are in an incipient 
state, and when coming from the cells they have a little 
of the queen look about them, and the novice might 
easily be deceived, and think them real queens ; but when 
they are older they look still more like a worker bee — in 
fact, so closely resemble them that 'tis a diificult matter 
to detect the difference. 

What has confirmed us in the opinion that they are bred 
in the incipient queen cells, is that we have seen them 
time and again crawling from the cells, and afterwards 
have seen the same little pests laying eggs just as busily 
as if they could propagate their species. 

EVIDENCE OF A FERTILE WORKER. 

Whenever you find more than one egg in a cell, you 
may know at once that you have no queen in the hive ; 
for where the fertile worker is found you will find a num- 
ber of eggs in each cell. 

How to get rid of her. That once puzzled us, and not 
knowing how, we destroyed them in order to be rid of 
them. 

Last summer (1870) we had several colonies that had 
lost their queens. We found, upon examination, that 
they had fertile workers. The next question was, what 
should we do with them ? We had tried many plans, but 
all had failed. We had introduced queens a year before, 
only to have the fertile workers destroy them; we had 



IN BEE CULTURE. 93 

given the queen cells, only to have them torn out by the 
fertile workers as fast as we could put them in. 

It then occurred to us that we could open one of our 
hives and select a brood comb containing a queen cell, 
and remove it, bees and all, to the hive containing the 
fertile worker. That proved too much for the fertile 
worker, she being at once superseded, and in a few days 
the young queen was out, and the colony was soon in as 
prosperous a condition as any colony we had. 

We afterward found that by giving a colony that had a 
fertile worker a frame containing both young brood and 
bees, that they would invariably supersede the fertile 
worker, and raise for themselves a queen from the larvae 
just given them. 

We have now given the novice in bee culture a few 
plain facts to go upon, by following which they can at 
once get rid of a fertile worker, and if not dispatched at 
once, the colony will soon be reduced in numbers, so as 
to be worthless for any purpose. If the apiarist should 
not discover their condition until the most of the colony 
have become drones, our advice is, destroy them at once 
and get rid of the drones. 



SHORT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 



Question. — How should bees be kept so as to yield a 
large annual income ? 

Answer. — By having your bees very strong or numerous 
at the beginning of the honey season. 

Question. — How can this be done ? 

A7isv^er'. — By stimulating your bees early. Give them 
four parts of water to one part ol sugar; bring to a boil 
and skim. 

Question. — How shall I feed it ? 



94 FIRST LESSONS 

Answer- — Feed in the top of the hive, in anything that 
is convenient; if in an open-topped vessel of any kind, 
lay in the syrup enough straws to keep the bees from 
drowning. 

Question. — What good is there in feeding early ? 

Answer. — By feeding the bees it starts the queen to 
laying eggs, and if fed every day all they will take, by 
the time the flowers are out you have an army of bees to 
gather the honey. 

Question. — If I feed my bees as you direct, how much 
surplus honey can I rely upon getting ? 

Answer. — If the season is good, and you remove the 
surplus honey just as fast as capped over, you can take 
from one hundred to five hundred pounds of surplus 
honey from each colony of bees. 

Question. — How can that be? I have kept bees all my 
life, and have never got more than twenty-five or fifty 
pounds of surplus honey from the best colony of bees. 

Answer. — That may be true, but you are to blame for 
it, and not your bees. 

Question. — How am I to blame for not getting more 
surplus honey ? 

Answer. — You should have kept your bees in a movable 
hive, with small frames above for the bees to store all 
surplus honey, and then you should have removed the 
small surplus frames as fast as capped over, and supplied 
their place with empty frames. 

Question, — What advantage would there be in remov- 
ing the frames as fast as capped over. 

Ansiver. — That the bees may always have new frames 
to build comb in, and that would tend toward keeping 
them constantly at work, both night and day; whereas, 
if left in the hive, it would only be in the way. When 
capped over, it is somewhat like the apple when ripe on the 
tree — they must be gathered when ripe, or they may be 
lost. 



IN BEE CULTUKE. 95 

Question. — But should I conclude after all said, to let 
all the honey remain in the hive till it was full, and the 
honey all capped over, what would be the difference ? 

Answer. — If not taken out as fast as capped over, the 
bees will fill the hive and then prepare to cast a swarm, 
and hundreds will be idle around the entrance of the 
hive — nothing to do and no where to deposit any honey 
they may gather. 

Question. — Is there any other reason that it would be 
better to remove the honey as fast as capped over? 

Ansioer. — Yes, and that is a very important one. Soon 
as the surplus boxes or frames are full, if not taken out, 
the bees are apt to encroach upon the quarters of the 
queen, that is, enter the brood chamber and fill up every 
available cell with honey. They have even been known 
to remove not only eggs, but young larvae from the cells, 
in order they might have a place to store the honey 
gathered ; hence the great secret in bee cul(ure,is to give 
the queen plenty of room to propagate her species, and 
the bees plenty of store room for surplus honey, then all 
will go on smoothly. 

Question. — What should honey be put up in to sell the 
best, and bring the highest price ? 

Answer. — Honey stored in small frames that will hold 
from one to three pounds each, sell more readily, and is 
in better shape for the grocery man to handle, there being 
no cutting, waste or breakage of comb in retailing. 

Question. — How could the honey be carried to mar- 
ket in small frames ? 

Atiswer. — As the frames are taken from the hive they, 
should be set in a box purposely made to hold them — 
large enough to hold three or four frames, the frames 
being fastened so as not to allow the honey to touch. 
The boxes should have an observatory glass, so the con- 
tents could be exposed to view without the opening of 
the box, that would enable the person or persons to see 
the quality of the honey without opening the box. 



96 FIRST LESSONS 

Question. — What is the next best way of having honey- 
stored for market ? 

Answer. — In small boxes, and they should hold from 
three to four pounds of honey each, and no more, if you 
want it to bring the highest. 

Question. — Tell us how to ship our honey to market? 

Answer. — Put up your honey in small packages so 
that each package will freight from fifty to one hundred 
pounds each. Pack so that the glass ends will be on 
the outside — that will enable all to see what they are 
handling. Better have handles at each, both ends of the 
package, so that the boxeg or crates can be handled with 
great care, then mark it this side up. Add anything else 
you may think proper, to keep them from rough hand- 
ling. 

Question. — When should bees be fed? 

Anstoer. — Late in the fall and after the bees have quit 
gathering honey. 

Question — What is the best method of feeding. 

Ansioer. — When combs containing honey can be had, 
it is best to give them honey in the comb, otherwise, 
take the rate of four pounds of coifee sugar to one quart 
of water, boil to the consistency of thin honey — all im- 
I)urities should be removed as fast as it arises to the top. 
Feed it in the usual way. 

Question. — Should not bees be fed in the spring of 
the year. 

Answer. — Yes. If they are short of supplies give them 
sweetened water just enough for them to take it readily. 
When you commence to feed in the spring, feed [every 
day enough to keep them breeding until the flowers are 
out in all their loveliness, then they can find enough to 
supply their wants. We caution you not to forget to 
feed your weak colonies of bees in the spring, and 
feed them regularly ; for one day's neglect might be the 
cause of losing the young larvae. With this suggestion 
we close this work. 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

Advantage of Movable Comb 

Hives 35 

Apiary, Location 41 

Bee Robbing 32 

Bee Keepers' Duty 82 

Bees store more Honey 36 

Bee Houses 42 

Bee Pasturage 43 

Bees, Injurious to Crops 44 

Bee Keeping Profitable. 51 

Bees, Egyptian 63 

Bees, How to Charm 65 

Bees, Who should keep them. 71 

Breeding. 72 

Breeding, Season 73 

Choose a Pursuit 59 

Conversion of Larvae to a 

Queen 68 

Cells 72 

Danger of Bees 39 

Dry or Wet Season 46 

Drones 84 

Experience in Bee Keeping. . 7 

Egyptian Bees 63 

Evidences of Fertile Workers. 92 

Fall Management 57 

Fertile Workers 91 

Hives 33 

Honey 43 

Honey, Crops 49 

Honey, to Market 96 

Increase of Stocks 14 



PAGE. 

Italian Bees 25 

Italians have more Honey Re- 
sources 26 

Italians more Industrious 27 

Italians easier Handled 27 

Italianizing 27 

Italian Drones 84 

Moth Miller 57 

Moth Miller, Symptoms 38 

Moth Miller, Time of Growth. 39 
Moth Miller, does not live 

through Winter 40 

Moth Miller, Remedies. . . .39, 80 

Nursery, Over-stocking . . .48, 80 

Objection to Natural Swarm- 
ing 20 

Queen Breeding 74 

Queen Breeding, Later in the 

Season 78 

Queen Breeding, in Nursery . . 80 

Swarming 20 

Spring Management 57 

Summary for the Year 57 

Summer Management 57 

Short Questions 93 

Secret of Charming Bees 67 

Smoke a Good Agent. 67 

Smoker Described 68 

Transferring Bees 11 

Useful Hints 62 

Wintering Bees 29 

Winter Management 57 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



We have concluded to present our readers the cuts of hives used 
long ago in both America and Europe. For descriptions, see the 
following pages. 




Fig. 1. 





Fig. 2. 



Fig. 3. 




Fi^. 4. 





Fig. 5. 



Ficr. 6. 





Fig. 7. 



Fig. 8. 










Fig. 9. 



Fig. 10. 





Fig. 11. 



Fig. 112. 




;Fig. 13.; 




Fi":. ]4. 





Fiff. 15. 



Fiff. 10. 




Fig.117. 





Fis:. 18. 



Fisj. 19. 







Fior. 20. 



Fi2. 21. 



Fio-. 22. 



Fig. 23. 




Fig. 24. 





Fiff. 25. 



Fiff. 26. 





Fig. 27. 



Fig. 28. 



EXPLANATION OF OUTS. 



Figure 1 represents the old American hive used by our forefathers 
The pattern would lead one to suppose it to be the same as one that 
was used in the Ark. 

The people of Europe have the honor of inventing and using Fig- 
ure 2, which is a willow liive, covered with cow dung and lime. 

Figure 3 represents an old-fashioned straw hive. 

Figure 4 represents the Venetian hive. compo5=ed of four boards 
six inches broad and three feet in length. This hive is entirely open 
at both ends. In the fall the bees are destroyed by brimstone, and 
the contents of the hive taken out. 

Figure 5 shows the hive of Calabria (South Italy). One side of it 
is always open, and the bees are protected on three sides only against 
their enemies in summer and the cold in winter. 

Figure 6 shows the African hive, made with sticks of wood. This 
is probably the most useful and reasonable of all common box hives. 

The following hives. Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 1.3, 14, 15 16, inclu- 
sive, are oklEuropean movable-comb hives. For cuts furnished for 
old European hives, we are indebted to the kindness of C. P. Dadant. 

Figure 17, bee moth and her progeny. 

Figure 18, the sting of a bee highly magnified, a is the spear; 
b and c are the poison sacks and cells. 

Figure 19 is the tongue of the honey bee magnified, a is the hol- 
low tube through which the sweet nectar or honey is sucked. The 
other large appendages shown appear to be feet, for enabling the 
bee to support itself while sucking up the nectar, and also for en- 
abling it to retreat when it has all it wants. 

Figure 20, Italian queen. 

Figure 21, Italian drone. 

Figure 22, Italian worker bee. 

Figure 23 represents the abdomen, or body portion of the bee, 
showing more particularly the manner in which wax is secreted, 
which is in little, fine scales, as shown in the figure. 

Figure 24 represents in part the anatomical view of the worker 
bee, showing its natural structure in a magnified state, a represents 
the honey sacks, or honey bag, as it is sometimes called, or first 
stomach, partially filled ; when distended, it will hold about one 
drop, and is of tlie size of a common pea; in this sack the bee carries 
the honey from the field to the h/ve; b represents the second or reg- 
ular stomach ; all honey that passes from the honey sack to this, goes 
for the nourishment of the bee, and for the elaboration of wax; c 
represents the small intestines; o represents the rectum and sting. 

Figures 23 and 24 are copied from "Kidder's Secrets of Bee 
Keeping." 

Figure 25 represents sections of brood comb and a queen cell, from 
whicli the queen has just emerged. 

Figure 26, queen cells cut from the comb, ready to insert in any 
other comb. 

Figure 27, comb containing mature brood, also queen cell inserted. 

Figure 28, the ovary of a queen, highly magnified. 

Figure 29 copied from " Hive and Honey Bee." 



P FIRST LESSONS 



BEE CULTUEE, 



BEE-KEEPEB^S GUIDE, 



BEING A COMPl.ETE INDEX AND REFERENCE BOOK ON ALL 

I'RACTICAL SUBJECTS CONNECTED WITH BEE 

CULTURE. IN BOTH COMMON AND 

MOVABLE-COMB HIVES; 



A SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR, 



BEING A COMl'LETE 



ANALYSIS OF THE WHOLE SUBJECT. 



By N. C. MITCHELL. 



&^, 



INDIANAPOLrS, INDIANA: 
INDIANAPOLIS PRINTING AND PUBLISHING HOUSE. 



ML ''''■ J^ 



NATIOISrA.L BEE JOXJRISri^TL., 

A MONTHLY OF THIRTY-TWO PAGES, 

Devoted to the Culture of the Honey-Bee. 



The National Bee Journal can be read with profit by every 
family, even those keeping but one colony of bees. Every number 
contains valuable information from the pens of our regular contrib- 
utors. From out of the number we are proud to name the following 
persons : 

E. GALLUP, Orchard, Iowa ; 

JOHN M. PRICE, Buflfalo Grove, Iowa; 
Dr. G. BOHRER, Alexandria, Ind.; 

Dr. JOHN WHEELDOJs, Greensburg, Ind.; 
A. F. MOON, Paw Paw, Mich.; 

Hon. a. H. HART, Appleton, Wis.; 
ADAM GRIMM, Jefferson, Wis. ; 

JOHN M. FOLLET, Atkinson, 111.; 
Dr. JEWELL DAVIS, Charleston, 111.; 
CHARLES DAD ANT, Hamilton, 111.; 

WILLIAM L. MARVIN, St. Charles, 111.; 
L C. VVAITE, St. Louis, Mo.; 
J. W. SALLEE, Pierce, Mo.; 

AARON BENEDICT, Bennington, Ohio; 

Prof. T. B. ALLEN, Syracuse, New York. 

We mio-ht name a host of others that contribute to the National 
Bfe Journal, but those already named above are sufficient to show 
that the National has amo.ig its contributors the ablest writers up- 
on apiculture in the United States. The National Bee Journal 
will be mailed to subscribers at the low price of 

ONE DOLLAR PER ANNUM. 

Single Copies Sent, Postpaid, for Fifteen Cents. 

For further particulars, call on or address, 

N. 0. MITCHELL, Ed. and Prop'r, 

No. 92 EAST MARKET STREET, 

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. 



The Rev. L. L. Langstroth Testimonial 
Committee. 



Mr. Clarke, of Canada, of the Comiiiitlee on tlif Langstroth Teslituonial, 
reported as follows : 

" The committee to whom was referred the matter of a testinionhil or do- 
nation to tlie Rev. L L. Langstroth, hej; to report that, after a protractt^d 
thorongli and, to sotne extent, confidential inve.stigation, they have come 
to the following resnlts: 

" 1. Tliey find that, owing to a series of untoward events. Mr. Langstroth 
has received but very meager compensation for his great services to Amer- 
ican apiculture 

'"2. That Mr. Langstroth. in his old age, is not only in straightened cir- 
cumstances, but is aftticted with a malady which renders close and contin- 
uous thinking perilous to liira, so that he is precluded from api>lication to 
study oi' business. 

" 3. That, in view of all that Mr. Langstroth lias done to promote the in- 
terests ot bee culture, it is incumbent on the apiarians of America to make 
an efl'ort for his comfortable maintenance in the decline of life 

'"4. That in furtherance of thi.s object, the lollowing measures be taken, 
viz.: 

'• That the Vice Presiilent, Secretaries and Treasurer of this Association 
be organized into a committee, lo be called the Langstroth Testimonial 
Committee. 

"That a general appeal be made for subscriptions on behalf of this object, 
as projio.sed and commenced by Mr. King at thi meeting of the Association 
j'esterday. 

"That a proposal, submitted to this committee by N. C. Mitchell, to fur- 
nish a large photograph of- Mr. Langstroth to all and sundry at one dollar, 
out of which at least seventy-five cents shall go to Mr. Langstroth, be pub- 
lished as widely as possible, with the warm approval of this Association, in 
the belief that a large multitude of persons, bee-keepers and others, will be 
anxious to possess themselves of such a souvenir ot one who has so distin- 
guislied himself in the domain of apiculture. 

' That whatever is obtained in the ways above enumerated be transmit- 
ted to Mr N. C. Mitchell, by him conveyed to the Rev L L Langstroth. nnd 
reported to this Association as a part of the Treasurer's official statement. 

'•All of which is respectfully submitted. 

" Wm. F: Clarke, Chairman " 

On motion, it was agreed to make the. price of the Photograph *1 00 
without and $2.00 with Mr Langstroth's autograph. 

To the above, which was copied from the Proceedings of tlie 
American Ket;- Keepers' Convention, we wisli to add, tliat we are 
now ready to send, post-paid, a laro;e-size Photograph of Rev. L. L. 
I.AXGSTKOTH — without the Autograph, $1.00, with Autograph. $2.00' 
We will also .send the National Bee Journal, Mitcliell's " First 
Lkssons in Bek Cultcre," and Langstroth's Photograph, for $2.25; 
the same, with Langstroth's Autograph. .$3.2.5. 

AVe will send, for tift\' cents, post-paid, a large Photograpli of anj'- 
one of the following persons named you maj- select: Mrs. Ellen S. 
Tupper, E. (iallup, L. C. Waite,' A. F. Moon, Dr. G. Bohrer, Aaron 
Benedict, Dr. T. B. Hamlin, N. C. Mitchell ; or we will send a photo- 
graph of an J- of the above-named persons, and National Bee J<»i'u- 
NAL one }'ear, for $1.2.5. 

Address N. C. U\TC\1^\Aj, Publisher, 

Indianai'Olis, Ind. 



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